Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: ERUPCJA [Red Sea International Film Festival 2025 - Jeddah, Saudi Arabia]

The essence of relationships and the dissolution of them have always been the fodder for elements of romance and betrayal. In "Erupcja" [Festival Favorites], Charlie xcx takes on the role of Bethany, a free spirit flittering between the idea of commitment and wildness in Warsaw, Poland. While Charlie and Lena Gora (as Mel) are exceptional at points, the superstructure underneath is fairly bland with not enough really to sustain a barely 71 minute film. The film was written by the consortium of actors including Will Madden as a put upon boyfriend. It just feels too angsty without the need to be unfortunately. It wants to create a vision in something like "Before Sunrise" but without a strong screenplay to back it up. There are moments however, including a poetry reading in an apartment between Gora and Charlie which is magnetic, especially when Bethany breaks the fourth wall, ever so slightly. There is a sense of the bohemian but this is a film that even in its mentalities is set in the early 90s.

While the characters seem brutally honest in certain ways, there really is not the stakes as one would think. The title refers to Bethany and Nel throwing caution to the wind every time they are together because a volcano is erupting. It is a romantic element but it doesn't quite pan out in a timeless fashion like they hoped it would. There are missed chances but it doesn't feel like the world will end. The music doesn't quite play into it either (like even the disappointing "One Day" many years ago did). It will be interesting to where Charlie xcx goes from here because she has a screen presence but this was just trying to be too much like mumblecore without really emotionally resonating the heart of the situation. C

By Tim Wassberg