Director: Pete Ohs
Writers: Pete Ohs, Jeremy O. Harris, Charli XCX, Lena Góra, Will Madden
Stars: Charli XCX, Lena Góra, Jeremy O. Harris, Will Madden
Synopsis: When a volcanic eruption strands Bethany and her boyfriend Rob in Warsaw, Poland, she takes it as a sign to reconnect with her childhood friend, Nel. The pair go on an adventure through the city and Bethany must determine what she wants from life and love.
There’s a real uniqueness to Erupcja and yet the film is also pretty straightforward. Despite having Charli XCX in the lead role, this isn’t some flashy affair meant to announce her arrival as a movie star. That honor went to The Moment, which was a funny satire with surprising emotional depth. This follow up pairs her with director Pete Ohs and a small, but great cast to create something more intimate that sticks in your mind.
When you talk about this narrative being unique and intimate, that begins with the fact it was written by Pete Ohs and his cast, which I’ve never really seen before. Charli XCX, Jeremy O. Harris, Lena Góra, and Will Madden were all in the room with Ohs trying to craft the best story and arcs for their characters. It could’ve been chaotic, but instead Erupcja not only flows well, but feels very close knit with no one character stepping over the others.
Plot wise, it will bring to mind Frances Ha, as Bethany (Charli XCX) tries to uncover what she wants from both life and love in her own slightly messy way. Like Frances, Bethany doesn’t feel like a real person yet and leans on her closest friend in the face of anything that could force her to grow up. Even with a loving boyfriend in Rob (Madden), she has no idea what she wants from life and that’s part of what makes her a fascinating character.
Throughout the film, she seems to be fighting between the idea of a humdrum life with Rob and adventures with her childhood friend Nel (Góra), who has actually built a stable life. There are moments when Bethany seems happy with Rob, but then the camera lingers on Charli XCX’s face and you can see her character’s unease paired with a burning desire to break free. That freedom comes out whenever she’s with Nel, but both of them seem to be being pulled in different directions even as they have a great time. What if they’re no longer good for each other and keep fighting against that notion until everything explodes? Erupcja is about coming into your own as an adult and it’s something that Bethany, Nel, and, to an extent, Rob are faced with.
It’s really been awesome seeing Charli XCX enter the world of acting and genuinely give it her all, each time out. That doesn’t change here, she’s brilliant as Bethany, turning this, at times, frustrating character into someone sympathetic. She can conjure so many emotions without saying a single word because it’s written all over her face. The minute you start to get angry with Bethany, you’ll notice this shift in her demeanor which makes you hold your horses and consider what she could be trying to say.
Her moments of release during Erupcja are so satisfying because Charli XCX’s has been making you think about where this character’s mindset is and what she might actually want. The beauty of it all is that you won’t fully know which way Bethany is leaning until everything is over.
You also won’t know what the end is for Nel and Rob because they’re both tied to Bethany. Lena Góra is so charming as Nel, serving as the ideal counter to Charli XCX’s performance as her fiery best friend. They’re in separate places in life, but Nel is willing to throw everything to the side for Bethany and it’s such a good dynamic because there’s a question of not only if Nel should, but if Bethany deserves it. Góra captures that warmth of friendship while also harboring a sense of doubt.
Rob, on the other hand, is a confounding character. He’s so tied to Bethany and we barely learn anything about him outside of their relationship. That said, the character is an important cog in this story and much like Bethany and Nel, Rob’s got to figure out what he wants from life and romance. The problem is this character isn’t interesting enough on his own to make you care, even with Will Madden giving a good performance. Every minute with him has something to do with Bethany and, as a result, you’re left wondering why you’re spending time with this one note wet blanket when you could be getting back to her and Nel.
Another thing bringing Erupcja down is the cinematography by Pete Ohs. While I understand that he was going for an old school foreign film angle with this film, it doesn’t fully come together. His shots are impressive at times, really capturing the beauty of Warsaw, Poland while also bottling up this feeling that we’re going through the lives of these characters. With that said, it becomes apparent Ohs only has so many tools in his arsenal to make his film capture the vibe of a bygone era. He cycles through the same shots and angles to the point it starts to feel like we’re watching a music video. Things look good, sure, but I would’ve appreciated more visual variety.
Erupcja is a chill relationship drama bolstered by Charli XCX’s charismatic, and outside her comfort zone, lead performance. This story of finding yourself worked far better for me than expected despite one of our central characters being pretty weak. There’s enough meat on the bone to make you connect with Bethany’s journey, and if the writing doesn’t do that for you, Charli certainly will. We now have proof that she can put together multiple good performances and this should make audiences want to see more of her.
