At 71-minutes, Pete Ohs’ Erupcja, the polish word for “eruption”, feels more like a simmer. Something coming, something building, but never fully reaching its boiling, or eruption, point. Following two friends as they reunite in Poland, Ohs’ attempts to say anything while also trying to remain distant from all those involved ultimately fails, but at least produces a pretty-to-look-at feature with a surprisingly mellow (complimentary) central performance from pop star Charli xcx.

Bethany is on vacation with her boyfriend, Rob, in Poland, where he plans to propose, as it is one of her favourite travel destinations. When Mount Etna erupts and lengthens their stay, Bethany slips away in the night to reunite with her old friend Nel. There is clear chemistry, leaving Rob alone on a romantic holiday with a plan for a marriage proposal, as the two women spend a night out together, rekindling old flames and reflecting on their old times together.

Nel and Bethany swear that every time they meet, a volcano erupts. And each time without a doubt, Bethany and Nel both set flames to whatever romantic attachments they have. The two tune out the world, believing that it must be something explosive in their meetings that causes these eruptions, leaving a path of destruction behind them.

It is a unique premise with possibility to probe deeper into romantic entanglements and sapphic longing. Or even the ideas surrounding heteronormativity in female friendships. But where Ohs’ film fails is in its seeming attempt to present big ideas about relationships, while also refusing to ever get close to any of characters. It seems to want to view the girls’ lives from afar, while also quite obviously wanting to say something deeper by the end. It always feels as though it is building to something great, only to end abruptly with its awkward screenplay.

This is especially obvious in a near the end of the film, when one character explicitely is caught describing to the audience the screenplay’s intended meaning behind the eruptions. A meaning that is quite obvious throughout the film, but becomes tacky when said out loud, proving the director’s lack of trust in the audience, as well as its screenplay’s lack of substance at all moments before this one.

What supports this longing, this overall emotional aspect of the film, is the aesthetics. The film is beautiful to watch, as though we are viewing the story through memory, being narrated by a familiar and simple voice and shot in a beautiful and sentimental light. It captures Poland how Bethany describes it, as one of the most romantic places on Earth.

And as Bethany lives through it, we slowly fall in love with Charli xcx on the screen. Sure, she is being held back, maybe by the screenplay or maybe by the expectation we as the audience hold about who we perceive Charli xcx to be. But she is giving something very subtly sincere here, making me excited for what is to come. The subdued nature of her performance here may hold back the film after audiences may come to expect something else, but I think it is a smart move on her side, stepping in a direction away from what we are anticipating.

On top of this, the sound and music really elevate the experience, as we can feel the uncertainties Bethany is experiencing through the emotion they add to the film. The uneasiness is felt from the start, pushing the themes of misunderstanding emotions into each scene of the film.

Overall, Erupcja is a great fictional feature debut for Charli xcx. It shows us a side of her that we aren’t expecting, in the realm of a story that we would. The film is held back by its refusal to get too deep into any of its proposed themes, and maybe could have benefitted from 15 more minutes of run time. It still concludes as a beautiful watch, even if we must have the screenplay underestimate us as the film’s intentions are irritatingly spelled out by the end of the film.

Erupcja (2026) will be released in select cinemas on April 24. Image courtesy of Route 504 PR.