It appears odd to ask how sizzling the temperature have to be in order that human habits begins to soften, however that is precisely what Brutal Heat (Brutální vedro) does. The characteristic directorial debut of author and director Albert Hospodářský is as bizarre because it sounds, delivering a surreal coming-of-age story imbued with Gen-Z power. Unfortunately, whereas Brutal Heat is overflowing with type, the film struggles with pacing, which finally hurts the expertise.
In Brutal Heat, a fraction of the Sun has dislocated from the burning star and now orbits the Earth, making the temperature of the planet rise to virtually insufferable ranges. It’s not a coincidence that the world is on fireplace, because the film units itself as a metaphor for local weather change and the challenges we face in the true world because of the risk humanity could be worn out in a number of a long time. In a world superheated by the Sun fragment, individuals spend their days sweating and searching for means to chill down. Still, life goes on, with everybody targeted on their mundane duties as a substitute of the calamity glowing within the skies. After all, when the tip of the world appears unavoidable, what else can individuals do apart from specializing in the current? This mixture of nihilism and apathy helps outline the Gen-Z zeitgeist, and it is exactly the attitude of Brutal Heat‘s protagonist (Vincent Hospodářský).
He is a lonely younger man whose solely concern is attending to a cottage within the woods the place his buddies are having a celebration. Without a lot cash or perspective concerning the future, and unable to attach together with his father, he shortly jumps on a practice to his vacation spot. However, what must be a easy journey turns right into a unending journey as soon as everybody begins to behave unusually because of the excessive temperatures. As such, Brutal Heat‘s protagonist will get more and more misplaced whereas making an attempt to keep away from grumpy outdated girls, sexual predators, and criminals.
‘Brutal Heat’ Makes a Statement
It’s not a coincidence that so many individuals in Brutal Heat are attractive, offended, or a mixture of each. With its sequences of surreal scenes, it’s making an attempt to make a press release about how individuals devolve when confronted with the tip of the world. It’s virtually just like the Sun fragment burned away all attainable human nuance and left behind solely probably the most instinctive a part of our brains. As animals, people are wired to battle, flee, and discover a sexual accomplice, which explains the unusual habits depicted within the film.
That does not imply Brutal Heat is cynical. For each one who raises an impediment on the best way to the get together, there’s another person who goes out of their approach to assist these in want. It can be simple for Brutal Heat to solely present the darkest pits of human habits when confronted with adversity, one of many major themes resonating in post-apocalyptic tales. Instead, the film spends a very good chunk of its runtime exhibiting how strangers can assist one another when all hell breaks free. In that regard, Brutal Heat comes out virtually optimistic, because it proposes that solidarity between individuals is as primal as the necessity to procreate.
It does not take lengthy to comprehend the movie is full of good concepts wrapped round a whole lot of humor. Unfortunately, the film has severe pacing points that drag the story down. While Brutal Heat has a major narrative, the film might be damaged down into completely different chapters that work as small sketches about human need. Though every of those moments echoes the film’s major theme, additionally they take away a much-needed fluidity. That’s as a result of, even when these parallel storylines finally connect with the movie’s major journey, they make Brutal Heat really feel like a set of shorts as a substitute of a single feature-length journey. While there’s nothing unsuitable with the anthology format, its indecisiveness about its construction introduces undesirable hiccups.
‘Brutal Heat’ Nearly Flames Out
Image by way of Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
As a semi-anthology, Brutal Heat additionally suffers from the truth that a few of its chapters are extra fascinating than others. When the film is at its peak, it may be a hilarious, dreamlike journey the place actuality is liquefied underneath the beating Sun. However, at its worst, it drags some occasions out for much too lengthy, testing the viewer’s endurance.
There’s a whole lot of care poured into Brutal Heat, which makes us wish to like it. Still, the dearth of cohesive pacing gives the look the directorial debut may have spent just a little longer within the enhancing room till some points had been ironed out. As a consequence, Brutal Heat delivers a curious experiment that by no means totally embraces the potential of its idea.
Rating: C+
Brutal Heat had its world premiere at 2023’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
