The winner of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival Grand Prize, the Canadian-French drama “Who By Fire,” opened the spring season of the Hirschfield International Film Series to a packed Dana Auditorium on Feb. 20. Following the screening, the film’s writer and director Philippe Lesage led a Q&A in which he spoke more about his creative process.
The film takes place deep in the Canadian wilderness, where a weekend getaway trip becomes rife with unforeseen tension. Screenwriter Albert Ahmarani (Paul Ahmarani) accepts the invitation of esteemed director and old friend Blake Cadieux (Arieh Worthalter) for a brief stay at his woodland cottage. Albert brings his children, Aliocha (Aurélia Arandi-Longpré) and Max (Antoine Marchand-Gagnon), as well as Jeff (Noah Parker), Max’s friend and aspiring filmmaker.
The happy reunion is soon soured when past antagonism resurfaces at the dinner table as Albert and Blake revisit the creative differences that led to the abrupt end of their collaboration. Meanwhile, Max plots to connect with his crush Aliocha and learn the ropes of filmmaking from his idol Blake, but his hopes are soon to be disrupted.
Vibrant and exhilarating, the film relies on the breathtaking wilderness to accentuate the tension between the characters as their guise of civility drops away to reveal something much more raw and sinister. The confines of the cottage mean that secrets cannot stay hidden for long, and the cheer that permeates one scene often gives way to open conflict the next. One particularly striking scene features a dance number, where characters made a conga line to the tune from the B52’s “Rock Lobster.” The stunning backdrop of rural Quebec puts in relief a machismo that borders on the primal. Whether they are hunting, fishing or canoeing, there is a not-so-subtle note of danger — not from nature, but from one another — culminating into a brilliant scene of suspenseful confrontation.
“Who by Fire” is an unconventional coming-of-age film where appearances are revealed to be deceptive and the glamor of adulthood nothing more than a facade. In his Q&A, Lesage shared that these themes are hinted at towards the beginning when Aliocha discovers the rock mill inside the forest, the hidden destruction of natural beauty is an allusion to the unseen lapses of adult role models.
The first half of the film unfolds from Jeff’s perspective, focusing on his shame and disappointment in the status quo which drives him to desire change. One such instance features him fleeing the cottage to seek solitude in the woods. His bravery is short-lived when darkness takes over and the looming reality of becoming lost sets in. While Jeff manages to find a small log cabin to spend the night, his venture is ultimately brought to an underwhelming end when it is revealed that Blake’s cabin was not so far away after all.
Aliocha’s viewpoint takes over towards the end of the film, and contrary to Jeff, she stands firm by her beliefs. Aliocha is entirely dedicated to creating art by focusing on her novel throughout the trip, whereas Jeff appears to have abandoned his filmmaking dreams after becoming disillusioned by Blake’s “success.”
Adults in the film are often the cause of disappointment. While Blake is introduced as an accomplished director, his personality proves to be much less affable, and his snide remarks towards Albert are often the cause of their conflict. Two scenes help to illustrate Blake’s toxic nature . Once over dinner, he shares his experience while hunting, dismissing the slaughter of innocent wildlife with an authoritative indifference. A similar toxicity is revealed when he takes advantage of Aliocha, inappropriately photographing her and persisting her even after she explicitly refuses. Aliocha transitions from admiring him to despising him as she realizes his true intentions. The slow development of his toxicity directly causes the collapse of his image for the teens in the film, disillusioning them toward any previous ideals about him or filmmaking.
Similarly, Jeff is initially a devoted fan of Blake’s work, and even is given a screenplay from him. As he processes Aliocha’s “transgression” and the breakdown of Blake as the adult figure he always looked up to, he enters a period of silence, observing the commotion around him without voicing any of his thoughts. During this period of silence, Jeff sees the true absurdity of the adults as they revert back to a more primitive form and continue interacting with nature, eventually merging with it.
As the adults revert to this “state of nature” they start to lose reverence for their surroundings, embarking on an adventurous but ultimately deadly canoeing venture. The beauty, grandness and majestic quality of nature is shown as the crew paddles their way through the valley as the heights of green mountains tower over their existence, grounding them in this space. Failing to realize the foreboding danger, the crew, guided by the current, drifts right into the rapids. The wrath of nature plunges them into the water, capsizing their canoes. As they struggle to get safely to shore, nature is once again depicted as indifferent towards the joys and woes of human life.
“Who by Fire” is a thrilling piece of commentary that prompts audiences to reconsider their beliefs and ideals, just as the kids throughout the film do. Taking its name from the 1974 song by Leonard Cohen, the film offers a reinterpretation of the power dynamics detailed in the lyrics: “Who in mortal chains, who in power / And who shall I say is calling?”
