Review of Fire at Sea (2016) by Tristanengen — 24 Jul 2021

The genius behind this film is that there is limited dialogue, which allows for the blurring between narrative and documentary. The story this documentary is telling is refined and poised; the young boy they used as the main motif within the film is brilliant and reminds me of a raw performance you may find in a Klimov film. As mentioned, because of limited dialogue: the main catalyst for plot development become the camera, and the meticulous pacing. Almost taking on characters of their own.

Visually, the camera (the Arri Amira) is distinct, and has a natural beauty to it. Rosi chose to shoot at the most cinematic hours of the evening for distinct portions of the film and the cinematography turns out beautiful. The main complaint I hear about the film, and I don't want to delve too deeply on this, is that it doesn't document the migrant issue clearly, and I think that those people aren't grasping the artistic value that this film presents. There's a place in cinema for a textbook telling of events, and there's a place in cinema for more representational telling of events. The latter of which being newer, often more interesting, and rarely done.