‘The fire of love’
Address: Sarah Dosa
Documentary
Year: 2022
premiere: 26 August 2022
★★★★
On June 3, 1991, Alsatian volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft engulfed by the flow produced by the explosion. unzen volcano, in Japan. For more than two decades the behavior of active volcanoes, especially the explosive ones they call gray, those who kill, it’s the opposite of the rivers red, which causes burning lava but is easier to control.
Based on the extensive cinematographic and photographic material the couple had accumulated during their travels and work, the director said, Sarah Dosa He prepared a story that focuses on both volcanology and the couple’s relationship. The title, which seems to be taken from an album and song of the rock band The Gun Club, talks about the fire of love and the fire of volcanoes. The film expresses the coexistence of the two aspects very well. Without the love between Katia and Maurice, their passion for volcanoes would not exist. Without the study of volcanoes, perhaps this love would not have crystallized.
Patience and recklessness
Volcanology is an observational science. Patience is essential, but in the case of the Kraffts, so was recklessness. There are scenes in ‘Love Fever’ that are as fascinating as they are disturbing: The couple in front of an exploding crater cannot escape because they are abducted by the flames and sound – they looked like Werner Herzog. The filmmaker is likewise reckless and is also tempted by volcanoes or navigating an acid lake in an inflatable boat. Maurice’s unrealized dream was to kayak down a lava flow: the fire of love.