7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A group of friends in a holiday home by the Baltic Sea where emotions run high as the parched forest around them catches fire.
Starring: Paula Beer, Enno Trebs, Thomas Schubert, Matthias Brandt, Langston UibelForeign | 100% |
Drama | 66% |
Epic | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Christian Petzold's "Afire" (2923) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Jahus Films/Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include recent program with the director and an original trailer. In German, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Afire arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Janus Films/Criterion.
Afire looks terrific in high-definition. While viewing it on my system yesterday, I did not see anything that could have been managed better so that the visuals are even more impressive. Indeed, delineation, clarity, and depth were outstanding, while colors looked very rich yet natural. Image stability was excellent as well. Obviously, it does help a lot that this is a very recent film shot with excellent contemporary equipment, but I still think that the technical presentation of it is rather remarkable. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.
All memorable dynamic contrasts feature natural sounds and noises, so instead of great strength or/and oomph, you should expect to hear great nuances. A lovely song -- Wallners' single In My Mind -- adds some additional flavor as well. The dialog is always very clear, clean, and easy to follow. The English translation is excellent. Also, I liked a lot the size of the subtitles.
Christian Petzold's explanation of what he wanted to convey with Afire is a lot more intriguing than the film he directed, which is strange because he connects interesting ideas and delivers thought-provoking messages very well. Afire does some good work to prepare for an intriguing message about a contemporary world that appears to have forgotten how brittle the nature of existence is and then mishandles it while focusing on a series of cliches about pursuing success and happiness. To be honest, I would have loved to see the canceled film Petzold wanted to do while reflecting on what took place during the Covid lockdowns, so hopefully he will come back to it and get it done.
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