New York 2024 Review: WHO BY FIRE (COMME LE FEU), Bad Times at the Cabin in the Woods
Does anything good ever come out of vacationing in the woods?
In genre cinema, going away for a weekend to a remote location is a recipe for all kinds of unpleasantness to happen. In festival dramas – eh, it usually forebodes much the same.
The difference is, the horrors that await the characters in that case, are usually of the emotional variety; it’s toxicity, awkwardness, insecurities, narcissism and alternating self-hatred or lack of self-awareness. Really, from watching all the movies, the nature doesn’t seem like a therapeutic setting at all. But therapy is a process, not an immediate result, and so, having come out of the woods with not much changed but a few things learned about yourself might not be a happy ending - but it’s definitely progress.
Philippe Lesage, the writer and director of Who by Fire, has been specializing in these sort of stories for the past decade. The Quebecois director has moved from documentaries in the 2010s, first with The Demons (2015) and then, Genesis (2018), both coming-of-age dramas. His latest film, first presented at Berlinale's Generation 14Plus and recently at the New York Film Festival, partly continues this trend, but this time Lesage decided to include the adults in his keen observations.
The movie starts with a prolonged journey to the coveted lodge owned by a used-to-be-very-famous film director Blake (Arieh Worthalter), who now lives as a recluse and has turned his craft towards documentaries. The initial guests are: Blake’s former screenwriting partner Albert (Paul Ahmrani), his daughter Aliocha (Aurelia Arandi-Longpré), younger son Max (Antoine Marchand-Gagnon) and Max’ best friend Jeff (Noah Parker) who harbors an obvious crush on Aliocha and idolizes Blake.
Soon after, they are joined by other friends of the host: a popular French actress Hélène (Irène Jacob) and her boyfriend Eddy (Laurent Lucas). But the tension is there from the start as the very first evening reveals the mutual, deep-seated resentment between Albert and Blake, the hopelessness of all of Jeff’s crushes and Max’ desperation at being neglected by everyone including his best friend.
The narrative scructure of Who by Fire is somewhat reminiscent of how any given episode of White Lotus is usually constructed. The day kicks off with a promise of a new start or at least a chance to enjoy scenic views. But by dinner time, good intentions turn into a feast of passive-aggressiveness, pettiness, idiotic pranks and full-blown panic attacks.
Pretentiousness is also an important identifying feature here. One of the first things we find out about this group is that Blake is the kind of person who names his dog in honor of Ingmar Bergman, and Albert is a type to name his daughter after a male character in a Dostoevsky’s novel. Poor Max doesn’t get a unique name, as this is his usual place in the hyperarchy of people who all want to be special just to repeat the same patterns over and over.
These are not terrible people, though, just somewhat flawed. Nothing major or grandious, nothing that could have compelled Dostoevsky to write about it, much to the main characters’ disappointment. Lesage intentionally roots the narrative in the mundane, which makes the dread of a potential tragedy that’s constantly hinted at, more profound.
Balthazar Lab’s camerawork is intricate, ranging from dramatic closeups to uncomfortably long static shots of group gatherings teeming with tension and second-hand embarassment. Shot primarily in subdued colors, the nature is beautiful but also menacing, especially when the characters start wandering through it carrying guns.
There’s also no noticeable distinction between two worlds: between younger characters and the adults. Coming-of-age stories, including the ones in Lesage’s films, are always filled with angst, painfully dramatic outbursts and no less aching disillusionments.
The actual horror of this particular trip to the woods: the grownups aren't doing much better. Sure, youth might be a complicated time but as we know, it is a flaw that's actually quick to pass, often leaving in its wake a bunch of adults coming to terms with the fact that maybe, possibly they have no idea what the hell they're doing.
The film enjoyed its U.S. premiere at the 2024 New York Film Festival.
