FIRE OF LOVE (A-minus) - What a fascinating slice of history wrapped in a love story. This follows Katia and Maurice Krafft, a French couple who studied volcanoes with the zeal of storm-chasers, eventually to their doom about 30 years ago while in their 40s.
A talented production team lovingly crafts and expertly paces the narrative that is captivating, even though we know from the beginning that the characters will die in the end. Director Sara Dosa (who produced "The Edge of Democracy") curates footage shot by the Kraffts and helms a meticulous script from Shane Boris, Erin Casper and Jocelyne Chaput. It's an elegant tone poem elevated further by the monotone, ethereal narration of Miranda July.
The Kraffts often tell their own story in these clips. (They made money from nature films and geology books.) Maurice has a particular, very European disdain for his fellow humans, and so early on this nerdy pair found their spirituality in the raw power of Earth. They make for a fascinating scientific duo, though there are times, later in the proceedings, when Katia gives off a vague hostage vibe.
The images shot by the Kraffts are captivating on the big screen. Lava flows along, huffing and snorting like some rough beast. Meantime, the daring couple (especially Katia) walk astride these lava flows as casually as they would stroll along a lazy creek.
It's an experience that can nudge you to the front of your seat. The main flaw is that the depiction of their death comes quick and is rendered in shorthand. But the storytelling all along is top-shelf.
QUEEN OF GLORY (A-minus) - Writer-director Nana Mensah splashes with an indie slice-of-life, starring as a young woman getting detoured from her career path when life happens. Mensah plays Sarah, the daughter of Ghanaian immigrants, and she is pursuing a Ph.D. at Columbia in New York City but has plans to, of all things, run off with her dumpy married co-worker to his new job in, of all places, Ohio.
But Sarah's mother dies unexpectedly, and Sarah must deal not only with her eccentric family but also with the Christian bookstore her mom left behind, which includes Pitt (a raw Meeko Gattuso), a tough-looking character with facial tattoos who is the main employee. This little bit of kismet rearranges Sarah's priorities and opens her world a bit beyond her ivory tower.
Mensah, a TV actress (Netflix's "The Chair"), has a wry approach similar to Lena Dunham's film debut, "Tiny Furniture" -- a 20-something with ambition but lacking direction. She soaks up the scenery of New York, especially the bookstore's location in the Bronx. She celebrates Ghanaian culture mainly through the funeral rites. And she is subtle with her sharp one-liners.
This is both funny and heartwarming. Mensah commands the screen like a star, and her confidence as a writer and director makes this leap off the screen. It harks back to the heyday of Mumblecore but with a sophisticated sheen.
BONUS TRACKS
The trailer for "Fire of Love":
The trailer for "Queen of Glory" has a killer punch line:
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