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“Fire of Love” is about the romance and death of scientists hunting volcanoes – US News News – Report by AFR

French scientists Maurice and Katia Krafft were brought together and eventually killed by their shared love of volcanoes.

Now the couple are the subjects of Fire of Love, a new film made up of hours of dazzling, terrifying, and occasionally whimsical footage they shot near — and even inside — erupting craters.

The documentary from National Geographic and acclaimed indie distributor Neon (“Parasite”), which is showing in a limited number of US theaters, has received rave reviews and early awards.

Director Sara Dosa first stumbled across the couple’s “spectacular images” while researching for another documentary about Icelandic volcanoes – but was more drawn to the “love that just shines behind the lens, unlike anything else”.

For 25 years, the Kraffts had traveled the world together in search of active volcanoes, had written around 20 books and made five feature films, as well as numerous television programs and lectures.

But perhaps they are best remembered today for dying side by side on Japan’s Mount Unzen volcano, which erupted in 1991 after being dormant for nearly two centuries, sending down a deadly plume of gas and ash down its eastern flank.

“Fire of Love” begins and ends with this tragic information – yet it spends most of its running time exploring the couple’s “love triangle” and their lifelong obsession.

“When we really found out about them as people … and the fact that they were married and also seemed to be in love with volcanoes – we were like, ‘okay, let’s do a film about these people,'” Dosa told the news outlet AFP.

“We wanted to tell a kind of mythical love story told through the language of volcanoes,” she added.

“That’s what brought them together in the first place, and that was the driving material, the fuel of their relationship.”

– ‘Ruthless Love’ –

While Maurice was the extrovert and ostensibly thrill-seeker – he paddles an acidic lake and plans to kayak down an active lava flow – Katia was similarly brave in the face of danger.

Her gung ho approach has been criticized by some of her scientific peers, but “I don’t think we’ve ever found her ruthless, quite honestly,” Dosa said.

“You ultimately lived a deeply meaningful life and died a meaningful death. And so much of it was this pursuit of love,” she added.

“I’m sure a lot of people will say maybe it was reckless love, but for us it was the way they live.”

After witnessing the staggering 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in the northwestern United States and the Nevado del Ruiz disaster, which five years later killed up to 25,000 Colombians, the two refocused their work to advocate for governments use better evacuation planning.

“Because they were some of the only people who actually took these pictures, they were uniquely suited for this advocacy work,” Dosa said.

“And they were literally trying to do that when they died in the mountains in 1991.”

– ‘Ointment’ –

Aside from educating modern audiences about the couple’s work, Dosa hopes the film can remind viewers that the planet isn’t simply “a resource to capitalize on.”

“So stories like this about the vitality, the sensitivity of the earth are all the more important to counteract exploitation,” she said.

Shooting the film during the pandemic and “having these guides, Katia and Maurice, who teach you how to navigate the unknown and who knew how to appease fear – that was such a salve and a refuge for us.” “

And then there’s the aesthetic beauty of the footage itself, full of bright red lava and otherworldly-looking volcanic landscapes, all captured in a distinctive style with “the hallmarks of French New Wave.”

“For example, in the cinematography, there were a lot of playful snap-zooms that reminded us of films made in France in the ’60s and ’70s,” she said.

“And their own writing – they’ve written almost 20 books – was almost reminiscent of the bombastic and playful storytelling spirit of the Truffaut films.”

Dosa herself drew on this style, including the documentary’s own breathy narration.

“One of the great storytelling devices of French New Wave were love triangle stories,” Dosa said.

“And for us, that was something that felt appropriate. Katia and Maurice really seemed to have a third in their relationship — volcanoes.”

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