In the Fire, 2023.
Directed by Connor Allyn.
Starring Amber Heard, Eduardo Noriega, Luca Calvani, Lorenzo McGovern Zaini, Sophie Amber, and Yari Gugliucci.
SYNOPSIS:
A doctor travels to a remote plantation to care for a disturbed boy who has inexplicable abilities. She ignites a war of science versus religion with the local priest who believes the Devil possesses the boy.
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, In the Fire wouldn’t exist.
At a remote plantation in the late nineteenth century, the central question the characters of director Connor Allyn’s In the Fire (co-writing alongside Pascal Borno and Silvio Muraglia) have is whether the emotionally distant but seemingly supernatural autistic child at the center of the story shares a connection to God or the Devil. Many locals think the boy is responsible for crops going bad, animals acting strange, locusts, and other plague-reminiscent occurrences, and are convinced the child murdered his mother. But what if the boy is special, and it’s all a gift from God making him unique, and he doesn’t understand his abilities yet?
Seemingly, In the Fire wants to study not where these powers originated but why they came to troubled young Martin (a blank slate Lorenzo McGovern Zaini, effectively unsettling.) Since the town is at odds on what’s happening, Doctor Grace Burnham (Ambe Heard, decent enough here but saddled with some truly laughable dialogue as her character interrogates what’s happening and questions her efficiency as a psychiatrist) is brought in from New York, convinced that there is a psychological and scientific explanation for the boy, alongside everything that’s happening. Cue the usual crises of faith and science, albeit in an incredibly pointless fashion here since the film more or less gives away upfront Martin is no ordinary child.
Grace tries to diagnose whatever trauma Nicholas holds within by typical practices such as inkblot tests. She also insists to the boy’s father, Nicolas (Eduardo Noriega), that there is no such thing as supernatural abilities. Since this film is about as deep as a sandbox, there are also worthless subplots, such as Grace and Nicolas falling for one another because they are both lonely (last time I checked, it’s not a good idea to start sleeping with the father of your patients.) Of course, this would be fine if there was an emotional or human element to any of this, but it mostly feels like checking boxes to throw some romance into the proceedings.
Aside from that, Grace is met with opposition from the locals (at one point receiving a series of brutal lashings) for not only choosing to see good in Martin and believing that his emotionless state of being (it is slightly offensive and disturbing the way these filmmakers feel fit to portray autism, which is what the plot synopsis lists as a condition)) can be treated, but also because she refuses to buy into the idea that the land’s rough times have been brought on by a connection to the Devil. Naturally, an incident occurs where she witnesses Martin pull off something unexplainable, unsure of what to think anymore. As she wrestles with her thoughts, the story builds to a violent finale that lacks intrigue or excitement.
Part of the problem is that Martin’s abilities are no different or a creative expansion beyond anything else seen in this subgenre. His gift boils down to psychic and telekinesis powers, with no clever spin on that or noteworthy filmmaking craftsmanship to lend those sequences some cinematic oomph. I’m also aware that no matter what I write, the main talking point is that the new Amber Heard-starring vehicle is a derivative mess, but she is far from what’s wrong with this movie. In the Fire fails as a crisis of faith/science drama and a supernatural thriller; in the fire is where it belongs.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
