Erupcja
The brief
Pete Ohs crafts an achingly tender 71-minute poem about desire that dare not speak its name, anchored by Charli xcx's surprisingly naturalistic performance as a woman fleeing heteronormative expectations in the cobblestone streets of Poland. The film unfolds like stolen moments between old lovers, all lingering glances and half-finished sentences, with Lena Góra bringing a magnetic restlessness that makes every shared cigarette feel electric. Ohs keeps the camera intimate and patient, letting silences stretch until they're almost unbearable, building toward a conclusion that feels both inevitable and heartbreaking. Perfect for anyone who found Call Me By Your Name too obvious or craved the European art house sensibility of Portrait of a Lady on Fire.
The verdict
If you crave slow-burn European art house romance with patient pacing and unspoken longing, this intimate 71-minute meditation on queer desire delivers exquisite emotional payoff. If you need clear narrative structure or faster pacing than lingering cigarettes and half-finished conversations, you'll find this meandering and frustratingly opaque.
Watch with
- 👫 Perfect for a solo viewing or intimate date night
- ⚠️ May feel slow for those wanting mainstream romance
Heads up
- Emotional intensity around relationship anxiety (moderate)
- Themes of questioning sexuality and identity (moderate)
Credits
- Director
- Pete Ohs
- Cast
- Charli xcx, Lena Góra, Will Madden, Jeremy O. Harris, Agata Trzebuchowska, Maja Michnacka, Jan Lubaczewski
Official synopsis
While on vacation in Poland, Bethany breaks away from a romantic itinerary planned by her doting boyfriend, Rob, fearing that a marriage proposal is imminent. Reuniting instead with an old friend, Nel, the two women rekindle a uniquely combustible chemistry over the course of a few days in a chaste but burning trust predicated on sapphic synchronicity and a mutual penchant for poetry.
The Double
Make a night of it
Pair this with Two Lovers (2008)
Both explore romantic hesitation and the pull between different relationship paths.
Total runtime: 1h 11m + 1h 50m = 3h 1m
