SXSW 2026 Review:
"Erupcja"
Release Date: April 24, 2026 Rating: Unrated Running Time: 71 minutes Blessed with a unique eye, and a flair for telling an unconventional story with insight and intimacy, emerging indie film darling Pete Ohs has become a SXSW Film & TV Festival fixture since the world premiere of his 2022 supernatural drama Jethica. But Jethica didn’t receive an opportunity to connect with arthouse audiences, and last year’s SXSW world premiere The True Beauty of Being Bitten by a Tick remains unreleased despite its fascinating employment of body horror to explore what domesticity means in the 2020s. Erupcja--Ohs’ fifth feature and the third to screen this decade at SXSW—is already in theaters and represents Ohs’ best opportunity to introduce himself to cinéastes outside of the film festival circuit. Not because Erupcja is Ohs’ best accessible offering to date, despite shooting much of the film in Polish and in a 4:3 aspect ratio. But because this quiet and curious relationship drama features the first lead performance by Charli XCX, whom Ohs cast before the release of the pop singer’s 2024 album “Brat” and the filming of her mockumentary The Moment. In Erupcja (Polish for “eruption”), Ohs examines the long but complicated friendship between two women, Charli’s Bethany and Lena Góra’s Nel. The two struck up a lasting friendship 16 years earlier when Bethany, then 16, found her way into Nel’s flower shop. They are so bonded that they can go months or years without speaking to each other, and then can pick things up again without missing a beat. Bethany visits Nel during a trip to Warsaw with her boyfriend Rob (Will Madden). Bethany confides in Nel that she fears Rob—too nice and predictable for her taste—is going to propose to her in Warsaw. Nel makes Bethany feel alive in ways no one can, so reconnecting with Nel allows Bethany to break free of the dull and uneventful existence she has endured for several years with Rob. Ohs coats his Warsaw-set Erupcja with a slight metaphysical veneer that explains the seemingly unbreakable bond between Bethany and Nel. Was it fate that they met during the 2010 volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland? And that their friendship is so intense that a volcano erupts whenever they reunite? (In Erupcja, Mount Eta erupts.) Or is it just an unexplainable coincidence or, as one of Nel’s friends theorizes, “vestiges of their youth”? Ohs doesn’t let himself to get too preoccupied with these questions, preferring to allow an air of mystery to linger over the otherwise grounded proceedings. That said, Ohs does employ volcanic activity as an obvious metaphor to frame the emotionally intimate affair between Bethany and Nel against their inability to settle down with their romantic partners. They seek comfort in each other at times of distress, but only Nel seems to be aware of—or at least cognizance of—the consequences to others. And Ohs presents this latest visit by Bethany as an invaluable opportunity for Nel to break free of this vicious cycle. Charli XCX is at the beginning stages of her acting career, so she remains rough around the edges onscreen. Ohs uses to this advantage, eliciting from Charli a naturalistic performance that feels authentic and free of her outsized pop-star personality. If there is a slight insincerity or caginess to Bethany, it is due to how Ohs positions her as both friend and lover. There’s a sense that Bethany uses Nel without maliciousness, but Nel appears to be conscious of this and does not judge Bethany for this. As Nel, Lena Góra brings order and balance to a relationship that, at least to the naked eye, is guided and influenced by Bethany’s whims. Góra offers a keen and effective portrait in patience and acceptance while ensuring Nel never comes across as being manipulated or exploited. On other hand, Will Madden is initially somewhat stiff as Bethany’s boyfriend Rob, but that’s the point. Rob is the perfect catch for a woman in need of a considerate but safe and boring partner. But when Bethany abandons Rob in Warsaw to party with Nel, Madden allows Rob’s frustrations to bubble to the surface. In keeping with Rob’s geniality, Madden displays more concern than anger toward the object of Rob’s disappointment. What was supposed to a life-altering trip to Warsaw quickly turns into a trek around a foreign city in search of a missing loved one. In this sense, Erupcja does serve as a love letter to Warsaw. Ohs explores Poland’s capital city with all the enthusiasm of a tourist and with the familiarity of a frequent visitor. “Whoever speaks of Paris has never seen Warsaw,” declared writer Cynthia Ozick. Bearing this in mind, Warsaw serves as home to Nel, a safe haven for Bethany, and source of confusion and turmoil for Rob. For Erupcja, Warsaw is as much a state of mind as it a city that is many things to many people. Posted: April 25, 2026. Web sites: https://www.12special.com/erupcja https://www.magnify-films.com/erupcja https://schedule.sxsw.com/films/2241459 |
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