Sydney Film Festival 2022 - Film Review - Fire of Love

Fire of Love

 
Documentary film maker, Sara Dosa, has compiled this portrait of the late vulcanologists, Katia and Maurice Krafft based on thousands of hours of spectacular 16mm footage that the couple shot on numerous volcanoes before their deaths in an eruption near Japan's Mount Unzen in 1991. The Kraffts were prolific in their filming and recording with Katia in particular spending considerable time after expeditions converting their work into books, films and lectures.  They were almost fearless in coming in close proximity to the objects of their study whether it be camping on a solid crust plateau inside an active volcano, rowing in a rubber boat on a lake of sulpheric acid, avoiding flying boulders, standing in the sea close to a small lava flow meeting the ocean or simply cooking eggs in a fry pan on the crust of a slowly cooling lava flow.

The Kraffts were signficant scientists in their field, Katia being a geochemist and Maurice, a geologist, they contributed significantly to understanding volcanoes and how best to measure activity to enable a warning system to be developed ensuring local populations can evacuate before an eruption. They classified volcanoes into two types based on plate tetonic theory: red volcanoes that are less volatile with mainly impressive jets of lava and associated flows located where plates pull apart; and brown volcanoes, usually violently explosive, located where plates grind together.

The footage is both stunning and terrifying with the Kraffts telling their own story on camera or their words are conveyed through the voice of Miranda July as Narrator.

Sydney Film Festival 2022 - Film Review - The Phantom of the Open

Mark Rylance (right) in The Phantom of the Open

Within any major film festival there is always a need for a light hearted absurdist film to be included in the screenings, more so when the story is anchored in true events. This film fits that slot. Based loosely on the real life of would-be tournament golfer Maurice Flitcroft, the story follows the successful effort by Flitcroft, a crane driver, to enter the British Open although he had never played golf in his life. 

With the support of his wife, his disco dancing twin sons and a somewhat dubious co-worker, Flitcroft finds his way through the entry obstacles to enter the competition and produce the worst round in the history of the British Open. The eternal optimist, Flitcroft does not leave this as his sole effort and continues to seek further entry to this World ranked sporting event. The film follows the almost cat and mouse moves between British Open officials and Flitcroft as they try to keep him away from the golfing competition permanently.
 

A highly experienced cast support film director, Craig Roberts to give effect to this 'fact is stranger than fiction' story. Sir Mark Rylance is Maurice Flitcroft, the versatile Sally Hawkins as his wife, Jean, Jonah and Christian Lees are Flitcroft's twin sons (disco dancing being their forte) and Jake Davies as his step son who initially rejects his father's golfing efforts but eventually supports them.   

This is an amusing, light hearted film and a welcome theme in the current serious world.