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Who by Fire (film)

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Who by Fire
Festival release poster
FrenchComme le feu
Directed byPhilippe Lesage
Written byPhilippe Lesage
Produced byGalilé Marion-Gauvin
Starring
  • Noah Parker
  • Aurelia Arandi-Longpré
CinematographyBalthazar Lab
Edited byMathieu Bouchard-Malo
Production
companies
  • Unité Centrale
  • Shellac Sud
Distributed byBe For Films
Release date
Running time
161 minutes
Countries
  • Canada
  • France
LanguageFrench

Who by Fire (French: Comme le feu) is a 2024 Canadian-French drama film written and directed by Philippe Lesage. The film starring Noah Parker and Aurelia Arandi-Longpré is about a film-loving teenager Jeff, who spends a vacation with his best friend Max's family in a remote log cabin.[1][2]

It was selected in the Generation 14plus section at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 17 February[3] and won the Grand Prix of the International Jury of Generation.

Synopsis

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Jeff, a 17-year-old boy, joins his best friend Max's family for a visit to a large and secluded mansion in the forest of Blake Cadieux, a director he looks up to, and he has a secret crush on Alyocha, his friend's older sister, so he has high expectations for the trip. He feels strong emotions during this trip where he also observes the sometimes harmful power relations among a group of adults. Cadieux, whom Jeff thought of as a possible mentor, does not turn out to be the role model he had hoped for.

Cast

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Production

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The film was produced by Unité Centrale and Shellac Sud.[4] Belgium's Be for Films has the international sales rights of the film.[5]

Balthazar Lab did the photography and Mathieu Bouchard-Malo did the editing for the film.[1][6]

Release

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Who by Fire had its World premiere on 17 February 2024, as part of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, in Generation 14plus.[7][8][9]

The film is slated to have its Canadian premiere on September 18 in the Features Canada program at the 2024 Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival in Sudbury, Ontario.[10] It will also be screened at the 2024 Vancouver International Film Festival on 3 October 2024.[11] It also made it to Main Slate of 2024 New York Film Festival and was screened at the Lincoln Center in October 2024.[12][13]

It will go into commercial release on December 6, 2024.[14]

Reception

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Andreas Köhnemann reviewing in Kino Zeit at Berlinale rated the film with three and half stars and appreciated the direction and cinematography stating, "Lesage and his cameraman Balthazar Lab skillfully capture the mixture of subliminal and abruptly emerging accusations and malice." Concluding Köhnemann wrote, "You don't need devils, slashers or death viruses to create the feeling of danger, emotions at the point of escalation are completely sufficient."[15]

For The Hollywood Reporter, Jordan Mintzer praised Lesage as an underrated director whose films should be garnering a lot more attention and acclaim. He praised the film's cast for their performances and analyzed the reference to Leonard Cohen's song "Who by Fire" in the film's English-language title, writing that "it’s an apt description of the many baptisms the characters go through in the movie, battling the elements and one another. If certain adults barely make it out alive and all of them are unlikely, in any case, to change much, the kids emerge more mature from their experiences, licking their wounds and ready to face what comes next. They’re both the real victims in Who by Fire and the only ones who leave us with hope."[16]

Accolades

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Award Date Category Recipient Result Ref.
Berlin International Film Festival 25 February 2024 Grand Prize for Best Film Philippe Lesage Won [7][17]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Who by Fire". Be For Films. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  2. ^ Lesage, Philippe (18 January 2024). "Who by Fire". Cineuropa. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  3. ^ Economou, Vassilis (18 January 2024). "Berlin unveils the entirety of its Generation line-up". Cineuropa. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  4. ^ Léa Carrier (20 December 2023). "Comme le feu de Philippe Lesage sélectionné à la Berlinale" [Comme le feu by Philippe Lesage selected at the Berlinale]. La Presse (in French). Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  5. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Poster for Berlinale Generation entry Who by Fire". Cineuropa. 6 February 2024. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  6. ^ "Who by Fire". Unifrance. 18 December 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  7. ^ a b Goodfellow, Melanie (17 January 2024). "Berlinale Unveils Full Panorama, Forum & Generation Line-Ups With New Films By Nathan Silver, Levan Akin, André Téchiné & Bruce LaBruce". Deadline. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  8. ^ Dalton, Ben (17 January 2024). "Berlinale unveils complete 2024 Panorama, Generation, Forum sections". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Who by Fire". Berlinale. 6 February 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  10. ^ "Plenty to savour at this year's edition of Sudbury's International Film Festival". CBC Northern Ontario. 22 August 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  11. ^ "Who by Fire". VIFF. 28 August 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  12. ^ "62nd New York Film Festival Main Slate Announced". Film at Lincoln Center. 6 August 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  13. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (6 August 2024). "New York Film Festival Unveils Main Slate". Deadline. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  14. ^ Ariane Auclair-Gendron, "Bande-annonce : Comme le feu, un film d'apprentissage en pleine nature québécoise". Cinoche, August 23, 2024.
  15. ^ Andreas Köhnemann. "Comme le feu" [Who by Fire (2024 film)]. Kino Zeit (in German). Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  16. ^ Jordan Mintzer, "‘Who by Fire’ Review: A Visit to the Country Turns Epically Sour in Philippe Lesage’s Powerful Ensemble Drama". The Hollywood Reporter, February 26, 2024.
  17. ^ "Generation Awards and Juries". Berlinale. 23 February 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
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