Erupcja

Charli XCX stars as party girl Bethany, who touches down in Warsaw with her slightly soppy boyfriend Rob (Will Madden), declaring that the Polish capital is more romantic than Paris. But what she really means is that she’s hoping her return will occasion a reunion with her friend Nel (Lena Góra), with whom every meeting going back to Bethany’s teen years has been charged with ambiguous intimacy and chaotic energy. Reminiscent of Rossellini’s Voyage to Italy, Erupcja updates the couples-in-trouble vacation movie for an era of budget airlines and Airbnb city breaks, as millennial characters aging out of their carefree study-abroad years face up to the impending commitments of their thirties. Director Pete Ohs also works as his own DP and sound recordist, shooting chronologically from scenarios developed in real time collaboratively with his actors (also including Jeremy O. Harris). In a film shot just before the Brat tour, Charli XCX announces herself as a resourceful and substantive actor, translating the ambivalent hedonism of her lyrics into an everyday register with real-life stakes. A 1-2 Special release.