Volcanoes and true love, the themes in ‘Fire of Love’

A still from Fire of Love by Sara Dosa, an official selection of the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. Photo: Sundance Institute

PARK CITY, Utah — The 2022 Sundance Film Festival began yesterday and welcomed digital audiences to an action-packed first day of premiere screenings and conversations featuring some of the most notable visionaries in independent film, new media, and culture at large. Some of the featured screenings included Jesse Eisenberg’s ‘When You Finish Saving The World,’ an HBO documentary on Lady Di, ‘The Princess,’ and the drama ‘A Love Story.’

One of the movies to premiere on opening night was ‘Fire of Love.’ First and foremost, this documentary film has some of the most breathtaking and spectacular images and videos of volcanoes. The magma and volcanic imagery is stunning.

‘Fire of Love’ is the story of a French couple that devoted their entire lives to the exploration and documentation of volcanoes. As volcanologists, Maurice and Katia Krafft traveled the world in search of the next volcano eruption. Their fascination, determination, and endurance of life-threatening situations are akin to Alex Honnold’s free soloing climbs in Yosemite Valley. The focus and ability to block out seismic threats allowed this unique married couple to capture the true essence of volcanos, from the rims of the craters (in some cases).

Maurice and Katia were relentless in their pursuit to know everything there is to understand about magma and the geology of our planet. The couple died doing what they loved, at an eruption in Japan in 1991. However, their research and documentation around eruptions and lava flow have continued to have a profound impact on humankind.

This film is the quintessential Sundance submission for the U.S. Documentary Competition. It explores the globe, unearths historical footage about an obscure natural phenomenon, and ties in a love story through a magical marriage.