KimStim
Judging by this ambiguity-laden Spanish film’s portentous first few minutes, in which we see huge trees being felled in the heavily forested Galician mountains in Northern Spain, a viewer’s first instinct would be to expect a didactic, cautionary tale about human greed prompting an oncoming eco-disaster. Although there’s an ostensible environmental message tucked away somewhere within this low-key drama, we’re never really privy to its deepest secrets. Fire Will Come combines expert cinematography with bare-minimum acting, courtesy of the non-professional thespians in the two lead roles: with the newly paroled arsonist Amador (Amador Arias) leaving jail to move back in with his mother Benedicta (Benedicta Sanchez) and help her out on her tiny farm.
We find Amador in the beginning making weak attempts to refurbish a stone cottage that had been long abandoned, trying to convince his mother that tourists will flock to the area. But this pipe dream doesn’t last long, and the counseling Amador was promised post-lockup never really materializes. So when a new forest fire rages through the hillsides, we’re left in the dark as to whether this is an environmental disaster connected with the deforestation of the area, or has Amador reverted back to his old pyromaniac self? These questions, provocative as they are, are irresponsibly left to dangle in front of the viewer’s face without any real closure about what caused the massive cross-country blaze.
Some of the villagers are convinced that Amador is the one responsible and rough him up at one point. Of course, in the history of film there are plenty of instances where the choice to use non-actors in starring roles has struck cinematic gold. Unfortunately, Fire Will Come is not one of those examples. It’s a case, performance wise, where less is not more—it’s simply less. And despite impressively bold Koyannsquasi-like imagery that dominates the screen in so many choice shots of northern Spain’s generous natural splendor, Fire Will Come simply doesn’t offer a story that can live up to its visual grandiosity.