Fire of Love follows the lives and work of Katia and Maurice Kraft, a pair of married scientists who dedicated their lives documenting volcanoes. It gives us a glimpse into their lives from an initial bonding over their shared passion to their journeys over the world teaching, researching and recording erupting volcanoes, work which would eventually lead them dying in an unexpectedly volatile volcanic explosion. It's a mesmerising film that balances its scientific insights with a three way romance between the two scientists and one of the worlds most destructive marvels.
Unlike most documentaries where normally we will see contemporary interviews with other colleagues or experts, the film is instead put together almost entirely through archival material. In large part this is through the footage shot by Katia and Maurice during their time documenting these volcanoes. This helps create a more dream-like structure for the film, like we are sharing a level of intimacy with them and their work by being sealed away from the rest of the film during the films runtime. And ultimately the footage says more than any standard talking head could do. We see their hard work as they go take after take trying to find the best way to frame the scale of the landscape. Their playfulness and wit that almost make them feel like characters from a Wes Anderson film, such as one sequence where Maurice happily states that he would one day like to take a canoe to ride his way down a lava stream. And most importantly the genuine joy and passion that they had for both one another and their work.
On top of this the footage used in the film is in equal parts stunning and terrifying. We see shots ranging from displaying the small details of how volcanoes reshape the land around them with the flow of lava stretching out to the sea forming new plots of land. But then we also see moments where massive clouds of smoke from an erupting volcano engulf an entire landscape along with the after effects of the scorched landscape that can be left in a volcano's path. It's the kind of shot that makes me think that in another lifetime Maurice's flair for the epic could have put him in good standing as a blockbuster action director.
At times the film reminded me of Werner Herzogs 'Grizzly Man', another film following someone who's dangerous passion would one day lead to their passing. Just like that film, we see that they know how great the dangers of their work are and that they were dealing with something so unpredictable by their nature. But we also understand why they are willing to take that risk. We see the importance of their work being used to encourage governments to put in place better response plans for eruptions. Also how their curiocity and awe of these beautifully destructive acts of nature compelled them to dedicate their lives to understanding its mysteries.
Unlike most documentaries where normally we will see contemporary interviews with other colleagues or experts, the film is instead put together almost entirely through archival material. In large part this is through the footage shot by Katia and Maurice during their time documenting these volcanoes. This helps create a more dream-like structure for the film, like we are sharing a level of intimacy with them and their work by being sealed away from the rest of the film during the films runtime. And ultimately the footage says more than any standard talking head could do. We see their hard work as they go take after take trying to find the best way to frame the scale of the landscape. Their playfulness and wit that almost make them feel like characters from a Wes Anderson film, such as one sequence where Maurice happily states that he would one day like to take a canoe to ride his way down a lava stream. And most importantly the genuine joy and passion that they had for both one another and their work.
On top of this the footage used in the film is in equal parts stunning and terrifying. We see shots ranging from displaying the small details of how volcanoes reshape the land around them with the flow of lava stretching out to the sea forming new plots of land. But then we also see moments where massive clouds of smoke from an erupting volcano engulf an entire landscape along with the after effects of the scorched landscape that can be left in a volcano's path. It's the kind of shot that makes me think that in another lifetime Maurice's flair for the epic could have put him in good standing as a blockbuster action director.
At times the film reminded me of Werner Herzogs 'Grizzly Man', another film following someone who's dangerous passion would one day lead to their passing. Just like that film, we see that they know how great the dangers of their work are and that they were dealing with something so unpredictable by their nature. But we also understand why they are willing to take that risk. We see the importance of their work being used to encourage governments to put in place better response plans for eruptions. Also how their curiocity and awe of these beautifully destructive acts of nature compelled them to dedicate their lives to understanding its mysteries.