Lima 2015 Review: THE FIRE (EN INCENDIO) Consumes A Relationship And Makes You Watch
This two-person drama follows a day in the life of young couple Lucia (Pilar Gamboa) and Marcelo (Juan Barberini) on what should be a happy occasion: they're about to move into a brand-new apartment. The moving gets delayed until the next day, and for the next 24 hours, we watch as this apparently blissful union deteriorates beyond repair.
Relationships are all about trust and communication, and it's quickly apparent that our two lovers never learned that lesson. Schnitman takes his time in revealing their background, but with every new detail that comes to light, it's obvious that these are two people who are desperately attempting to hold on to something that's already broken. Whether due to inmaturity or resentments beneath the surface, they're doomed to fail.
The director's unhurried, detached style makes us all voyeurs, uncomfortably watching a couple at every intimate step, with the nagging feeling that this is something we're not supposed to see; it's what they say about car wrecks. The title is on-the-nose but apt: the fire starts out slowly, with small, petty arguments, and gradually spreads to something much worse. Judging from its intense final moments, it won't be put out so easily.
Credit the actors for making everything believable and largely avoiding going to extremes. This isn't a weepy melodrama or a pitch black comedy, but something in between, a stark, no-frills drama that aims for realism. It's also one of the worst date movies ever made, so you're better off watching this on your own, provided you aren't prone to cringing while watching a couple self-destruct, or if you managed to get through Sam Mendes' Revolutionary Road without flinching once.
The Lima Film Festival runs from 7-15 August.
Do you feel this content is inappropriate or infringes upon your rights? Click here to report it, or see our DMCA policy.
