Review: FIRE OF LOVE
by Karen Pecota

Sara Dosa, USA | Canada 2022

Documentary filmmaker Sara Dosa presents her latest narrative FIRE OF LOVE,narrated by Miranda July, while the audience views archival footage from Maurice and Katia Krafft and their study of volcanoes. Dosa explains, "I was fascinated by the idea of trying to listen to the story of people who had passed away, told through what they have left behind--not just the materiality, but the questions that are left open." Adding, "I loved the challenge of trying to listen to protagonists through their own words rather than imposing judgment or hindsight."

Dosa learned about Maurice and Katia Krafft while doing research on her film, THE SEER AND THE UNSEEN, about an Icelandic woman who can see and speak with spirits of nature. Dosa explains with excitement about the making of this film, "I imagined an opening scene with beautiful archival volcanic imagery."

Dosa and her team searched a long time for the right footage for her opening scene and in the process came across a treasure trove of material from the Kraffts' research on volcanoes. Dosa found their relationship fascinating as a married couple and as scientists; but, more so of their passionate love for volcanoes. Dosa notes, "There is no Maurice and Katia without volcanoes. It was almost a love triangle between the two of them and the volcanoes." Adding, "This set me on a path of inquiry about so many things: the human relationship with nature; the sentience of nature; creation; destruction; love; life; and meaning."

Synopsis:

Celebrities of their time, especially in France, Maurice and Katia Krafft spent their life studying volcanoes. Chasing fire around the world, the Kraffts passionately devoted their lives to the research of such explosive forces of nature. Maurice and Katia were pioneers of research in the 1970s and 1980s that has helped save lives, but sadly ended their own.

While capturing the gray volcanic eruption in Indonesia, Maurice and Katia died just as explosively as they had lived. The two captured some of the most breath-taking imagery of the earth ever recorded. Dosa's use of the Kraffts' archival documentation is drawn from their valuable treasure trove of rare and never-before-seen footage including, Katia's storehouse of still photography.

Maurice and Katia's exemplary partnership of affection, humor, and curiosity left this world too soon, but their legacy leaves behind an enriched understanding and respect for a force of nature with personality.