Most critics like Afire, and the praise gathers around two things: Thomas Schubert’s performance as Leon, the sulking, self-absorbed novelist at the centre, and Petzold’s turn towards comedy. Review after review notes that this is funnier than his recent work, a comedy of manners and social embarrassment with a tragic undertow, and several call it his most accessible film. Schubert’s hangdog scowl is singled out repeatedly, as is the barbed interplay between the four housemates and the way the forest fires creep in from the edges of the story.
The reservations are fewer and mostly concern tone. The Guardian finds the film tonally wayward, never quite landing its comedy or its later seriousness, and HeyUGuys thinks it regrettably small, with a lead too insufferable to spend an evening with. Slant Magazine is the lone outright dissenter. The spread is otherwise narrow: nearly everyone settles on firm approval, and the argument is whether an unlikeable protagonist is a risk that pays off or a chore.
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Variety
22 February 2023 · Critics Pick · Guy Lodge
85*
The critic deems the film superb and smoldering, praising its wincingly well-observed and acidly funny take on creative insecurities. It singles out the deft tonal swerves that connect the relationship dynamics with elemental concerns.
The critic praises the film’s lighter, funnier pivot from Petzold’s recent work, capturing a sensual summer Rohmerian vibe with literary references. It offers a compelling study of creative anxieties, subjectivity, and superiority/inferiority complexes.
The film is a beguilingly funny affair about getting in one's own way, following young people vacationing against a backdrop of disaster. It offers a piercing image of being young in a world on fire through a memorable rooftop scene.
22 February 2023 · festival review · Peter Bradshaw
60*
The critic finds the film an approachable but tonally wayward tragicomedy that fails to fully deliver on its comedy or later seriousness. They single out Thomas Schubert’s strong, hangdog performance as the miserable writer Leon for praise.
Afire is an often comic but serious-minded study of a creative mind stuck in self-centered neutral, capturing complex human interactions with clear-minded sobriety. It builds from a hangout comedy into a slow-motion conflagration offering no easy answers.
The critic describes the film as superb and one that burns fiercely, focusing on the exasperated young writer’s mesmerizingly punchable scowl. It singles out the barbed character interplay, sharply chiseled performances, and the story’s accessibility and thematic resonance.
The critic finds the film an entirely engrossing drama centered on a peevish young novelist whose flaws drive much of the story. It singles out the exceptional performances, particularly by Schubert and Beer, for praise alongside the literate dialogue and emotional impact.
The critic notes Petzold’s move into wry comedy of manners and social embarrassment with more laughs than usual, alongside a brittle character piece and tragic undertow. It highlights a superb lead performance and positions the film as one of his most accessible works.
The critic highlights Petzold’s shift toward humor and satire in this study of a pretentious, insecure writer falling in love. It makes a grand statement about love’s devastating power while skewering the protagonist’s fragility and self-pity through sharp character dynamics.
Petzold examines the insecurities of a male artist in a nimble chamber piece about four people in a seaside vacation home. The initially playful drama grows more somber as it explores growth out of crisis.
The critic calls the film a spiky and at times mordantly funny tonic that avoids dull, likable characters. It singles out the boorish yet pleasurably bad-company young writer for its cruel comedy and eventual heartbreak.
The review praises the film as witty, sad and surprising, highlighting Petzold’s high-risk choice to centre an unlikeable, misanthropic protagonist and the compelling performance that makes it work.
22 February 2023 · festival review · Savina Petkova
85*
Petzold builds an original story of twos becoming threes and more in a summer cottage near spreading fires, relying on aquatic imagery and premonitions. It is a cinematic miracle between the burning forest and the sea.
22 February 2023 · festival review · Stephanie Bunbury
80*
Petzold’s film is a droll divertissement and a fable for our times, satirizing the self-absorption of writers and creative artists through the character of Leon. It singles out the precise observation of everyday tensions and minor failures in human interactions for praise.
Petzold delivers his most literary film to date, with elegant voice-over, poetry, and intelligent performances that make it a pleasure to watch. It is a timely German summer movie updating enchanted forest tales amid real-world fires.
Petzold crafts a playful yet complex genre exercise with subtle mirroring, circular dialogue, and a protagonist determined to be miserable. It is a twi sty postmodern fairy tale nested inside a sexy summer romp that will be difficult to top.
The critic praises Petzold’s sharp, funny character study of a self-absorbed writer whose pretensions clash with desire and crisis amid forest fires. It singles out the film’s interrogation of the protagonist type, the warm central relationships (especially the friends), and its thoughtful use of sound and comedy in a slow-burn narrative that does not misfire.
Petzold delivers a blackly funny character study of an unpleasant novelist on a working vacation disrupted by forest fires and an elusive housemate. The careful control allows deep, elegant characterizations to stand out amid the narrative elements.
Petzold examines a narcissistic author ignoring wildfires while fixated on his novel in a shared holiday home. The film is a slow-burner but feels regrettably small, with an insufferable lead.
Petzold delivers a sophisticated and breezily humorous character study navigating masculine insecurities, personal growth, and the life of a misanthropic writer. It singles out Thomas Schubert’s performance as Leon and the generous humor in the examination of the tortured artist for praise.
Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate
