The title of the sweet and sour romantic comedy-drama, “Erupcja” means “eruption” in Polish. It is so named because there is always a seismic shift whenever Bethany (Charli XCX) encounters Nel (Lena Góra).
The two women first met as teenagers. Bethany, who is British, promised to stay in touch with Nel, who is Polish, but they have not seen each other in some time. However, when Bethany arrives in Warsaw with her boyfriend, Rob (Will Madden), the earth shakes, and the volcano, Etna, erupts, forcing ash to cancel flights and Rob and Bethany to spend more time in Eastern Europe.
It is not a spoiler to reveal that Bethany chose to visit Poland over Paris — she tells Rob, “Warsaw’s more romantic” — with the ulterior motive of reconnecting with Nel. She admits to Nel that with Rob, “the earth doesn’t shake, and volcanos don’t erupt,” when she reveals to Nel that she knows that Rob plans to propose to her on their trip. (Rob is unaware she found the ring.) But Nel may have to keep her emotions for Bethany in check as she is seeing Ula (Agata Trzebuchowska).
“Erupcja” cozily depicts these characters and the disruption of their lives and relationships. The young women, it seems, are still evolving — wanting love but not quite knowing how to give it. The awkward humor stems from the situations they create of their own making. Bethany ghosts Rob as a way of expressing her indecision about him, while Nel forgets a date with Ula, suggesting she is not invested in their relationship. (There is also a comic subplot about Jan (Jan Lubaczewski), a regular customer in the flower shop where Nel works, having increasing difficulties with his girlfriend.)
Director Pete Ohs takes a very deliberate approach to telling these stories of heartache and heartbreak. He shoots his film in a style that mixes mumblecore with European arthouse. There is a real hangout vibe as the characters eat or roam around the city, and the film speeds up when Bethany and Nel first connect and spend a night together. There are also color breaks between episodes as well as filters and reflections in glass to mirror the changing moods of the characters. In addition, Oh applies a voiceover that describes Nel, Bethany, and Rob’s behavior, from how the two women met to the characters’ dreams and desires. The cumulative effect gets inside the headspace of these troubled lovers as they determine what they think they want.
The script is by Ohs and the actors as well as out gay playwright Jeremy O. Harris (“Slave Play”), who co-produced and appears as Claude, an artist. When Bethany and Rob meet Claude in a sushi restaurant, he invites them to a party he is hosting. (It is at that party where Bethany and Nel go off together, much to Rob’s chagrin.) But what resonates is all that goes unspoken by the characters. Bethany and Nel seem unable to articulate what they need to say to those who love them until possibly too late. (Alas, “Erupcja” also features Bethany and Rob reciting the same wordy speech at different times and it is deadly.)
But wisely, Ohs allows viewers to follow each character in the central love triangle at different stages to absorb their emotional states. We see Bethany following Nel as she plans when and how to reconnect with her. Nel’s life comes into focus as she reacts to her sister Maja (Maja Michnacka) informing her that she saw Ula. And Rob processes Bethany’s disappearance during the days he was planning to propose.
Each characters’ feelings are conveyed through the ensemble casts’ engaging performances. Charli XCX is wonderfully naturalistic as Bethany, a young woman whose ambivalence about getting married pushes her to make a string of possibly bad decisions. The singer/actress cannily lets viewers decide if Bethany is self-sabotaging her relationship with Rob or really loves Nel. Likewise, Lena Góra makes Nel’s conflict palpable as she is drawn to both Ula and Bethany but is paralyzed with guilt about choosing one over the other. As Rob, Will Madden expresses Rob’s optimism and despair well.
“Erupcja” is economically made — it runs a scant 71 minutes — but the drama never feels slight because the characters come across as real. Ohs also uses the backdrop of Warsaw well, letting scenes unfold in the city’s apartments, museums, streets, and restaurants. The film presents a slice of life for these characters, whose love lives ripple rather than surge. The eruptions may be emotionally devastating for some, but unlike in the case of volcanos, no one dies.
“Erupcja” | Directed by Pete Ohs | Opening April 17 at the Angelika Film Center | Distributed by 1-2 Special
