The Magician Ohs
Charli XCX is cast in a role before the Brat phenomenon exploded onto the scene, much to Pete Ohs’s delight. She is also credited with the screenplay for Eruption, alongside Lena Góra and the other cast members. This stems from the director’s very particular method, which he calls the “bubble table”. Wishing to shed the pressure that comes with traditional production models, he hires a minimalist crew and builds the film on set from a simple outline, working in tandem with his performers.
A spontaneity-driven approach that recalls certain New Wave experiments. The reference even spills into the editing, which allows inserts of color bars and other archival volcanic imagery. Fortunately, Ohs does not claim a legacy, nor any artistic manifesto. He is simply pursuing a lightness that studios crowded with preproduction meetings and big budgets often deny.
And that lightness suits a story full of awkward conversations and impulsive decisions very well. XCX plays Bethany, who travels to Warsaw with her partner, who intends to propose. There she reconnects with Nel (Góra), an old friend and local who shares a special bond with her: at every reunion, a volcano erupts. And it does not miss its cue: Etna suddenly wakes up.
It is this intimate, almost supernatural connection that benefits most from the hesitant style produced by the “bubble table”. We wander the streets of Warsaw with these somewhat adrift characters, bound by something the camera gradually captures as it follows the minutest of their conversations. By letting his actresses take possession of their roles, the director ends up chasing after them. Then, he outright loses them.
Mean Girls
The American press anticipated this release with eagerness to portray Charli XCX as the antithesis of her musical persona. The naturalism of Eruption obviously clashes with the artificial sheen that has long defined the core of her work and peaked in her collaborations with SOPHIE. But when the plot reveals its true themes, she reverts to a genuine Brat. In this improvisation-friendly setup, the pop star directly influences her portrayal of a free spirit who might be a touch too carefree, much like theatre actress Lena Góra influences hers.
The final stretch thus allows Ohs to move beyond a simple realist chronicle and inject some heft into the impulsivity of a budding romance that had carried him along previously. Little by little, the bright tale of these fiery reunions gives way to consequences less idyllic. The plot returns its gaze to the man she has always somewhat scorned, offering the film’s strongest idea: a dialogue that deftly shatters the mystique at the heart of the stakes.
“But it kills people,” remarks a young artist to the two laughing friends, looping their volcano saga. In the moment, he comes off as a killjoy. But after an hour or so, you find yourself willingly agreeing with him. Despite its title, Eruption presents a certain romantic disillusionment, a straightforward yet double-edged simplicity that draws heavily on the performances of its two outstanding leads. Not just for fans of hyper-pop, then.
