Fire at Sea

Name: Fire at Sea
Genre: Documentary
Released: October 21, 2016
Duration: 114 min
Rating: 87

2016

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 20 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Ratings

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7.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Ratings

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Fire At Sea

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Movie Details & Credits

Kino Lorber | Release Date: October 21, 2016 | Not Rated

Summary: Samuele is twelve and lives on an island in the Mediterranean, far away from the mainland. Like all boys of his age he does not always enjoy going to school. He would much rather climb the rocks by the shore, play with his slingshot or mooch about the port. But his home is not like other islands. For years, it has been the destination ofSamuele is twelve and lives on an island in the Mediterranean, far away from the mainland. Like all boys of his age he does not always enjoy going to school. He would much rather climb the rocks by the shore, play with his slingshot or mooch about the port. But his home is not like other islands. For years, it has been the destination of men, women and children trying to make the crossing from Africa in boats that are far too small and decrepit. The island is Lampedusa which has become a metaphor for the flight of refugees to Europe, the hopes, hardship and fate of hundreds of thousands of emigrants. These people long for peace, freedom and happiness and yet so often only their dead bodies are pulled out of the water. Thus, every day the inhabitants of Lampedusa are bearing witness to the greatest humanitarian tragedy of our times. [Kino Lorber]… Expand

Director: Gianfranco Rosi

Genre(s): Documentary

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 114 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

The Guardian Peter Bradshaw

Sep 26, 2016

Fire at Sea is masterly film-making. Read full review

100

Mark Medley

Oct 20, 2016

The movie’s moral centre, is the island’s doctor, who in one of the film’s most powerful moments reflects on all the autopsies he’s performed. “It’s the duty of every human being to help these people,” he says. That’s about as close as director Gianfranco Rosi gets to a political message. Read full review

100

David Lewis

Dec 8, 2016

A mesmerizing documentary. Read full review

Lee Marshall

Jun 8, 2016

[A] powerful, at times shocking but also intensely human documentary. Read full review

Harriet Warman

Jun 9, 2016

Fire at Sea is a film that expertly plays with contrasting moments and themes. Read full review

Deborah Young

Jun 8, 2016

Where journalism leaves off, Fire at Sea (Fuocoammare) begins. It takes a unique documentary filmmaker like Gianfranco Rosi to capture the drama through the periscope of his camera focused on the small Sicilian island of Lampedusa. Read full review

The Film Stage Giovanni Marchini Camia

Jun 8, 2016

While Rosi certainly manages to jolt the viewer out of complacency, his strategy towards this end is so ethically dubious as to border on repellent. Read full review

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User Reviews

tristanengen

Jul 24, 2021

The genius behind this film is that there is limited dialogue, which allows for the blurring between narrative and documentary. The story this documentary is telling is refined and poised; the young boy they used as the main motif within the film is brilliant and reminds me of a rawThe genius behind this film is that there is limited dialogue, which allows for the blurring between narrative and documentary. The story this documentary is telling is refined and poised; the young boy they used as the main motif within the film is brilliant and reminds me of a raw performance you may find in a Klimov film. As mentioned, because of limited dialogue: the main catalyst for plot development become the camera, and the meticulous pacing. Almost taking on characters of their own.
Visually, the camera (the Arri Amira) is distinct, and has a natural beauty to it. Rosi chose to shoot at the most cinematic hours of the evening for distinct portions of the film and the cinematography turns out beautiful. The main complaint I hear about the film, and I don't want to delve too deeply on this, is that it doesn't document the migrant issue clearly, and I think that those people aren't grasping the artistic value that this film presents. There's a place in cinema for a textbook telling of events, and there's a place in cinema for more representational telling of events. The latter of which being newer, often more interesting, and rarely done.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

kidbresson

Dec 8, 2016

Resplendent, carefully crafted shots make a subject that is difficult to think about somewhat easier to watch. As a documentary without interviews, an explicit narrative, or even much of a story arc, this film somehow manages to avoid fitting into any traditional genre without coming off asResplendent, carefully crafted shots make a subject that is difficult to think about somewhat easier to watch. As a documentary without interviews, an explicit narrative, or even much of a story arc, this film somehow manages to avoid fitting into any traditional genre without coming off as unclear about its motives or once meandering in its method. The general criticism that it presents the inhabitants of the island and the refugees in artificial isolation from one another has some merit, but I think it let the film more sharply contrast the comfortable world that most of us live in and the extreme hardships which we generally prefer to ignore, regardless of how close to our own lives this other worlds actually exists.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

LeZee

Feb 24, 2017

Multi-layered Mediterranean Sea tale.

This documentary film is not in detail like any normal documentary does, to highlight the rights and wrongs. Actually, it speaks less and reveals more through its pictures. So anybody can make their own narration watching this film. The filmmakers leftMulti-layered Mediterranean Sea tale.

This documentary film is not in detail like any normal documentary does, to highlight the rights and wrongs. Actually, it speaks less and reveals more through its pictures. So anybody can make their own narration watching this film. The filmmakers left that part empty for you the viewers to decide. But my advice for you if you want to try this, that don't expect it to be about the 'immigration' alone. This film was multi-layered. There are many angles of focus about different topics, but kind of all are connected which is the Mediterranean Sea.

So the common thing in the film is the Sea that divides the two continents, Europe and Africa. This film sets around that region about the people who depended on it for the living, growing up and looking for the fresh life start. But the majority of those who saw it recognise only the refugees who cross the sea. That's wrong to label this film is about the refugees. Around 20-25 per cent of the film concentrated on that issue. Only about their struggle on their journey to the other side, but it reveals nothing on its root cause. If you ask me, I would say only one religion making all this mess in the middle-east, otherwise you won't see the western army in that region.

Some of the clips, the real ones are really disturbing. I won't blame those people who took such risk to get the other side of the sea. Believe me, I'm not a nationalist, so I won't believe in borders and regions that divided over language and ethnicity base. But I do mind the religious. If that was eradicated from the earth's surface, particularly one that's causing all the trouble immediately, we can co-exist peacefully. That's the major issue here, but we're after temporary solution. The film does not say all this, but you will get the clear picture.

"The ships fired rockets and at sea. It was like there was fire at sea."

For me this was an average film. I have seen the much better documentaries than this on various issues of the world. The filmmakers don't want to take sides, so they only revealed the truth by just following and making videos of life in and around the Mediterranean Sea. Like I meantioned earlier, some of the angles do not make any sense or difficult to understand its purpose. I don't know the others, but I have got plenty of questions about the film to ask the filmmakers. If you are like me, welcome aboard.

It was the Italian entry for the 2017 Oscars and it did not make, but found a slot in the list of Best Documentary Feature. This is the first out of five from that category I have seen, so I don't know whether it wins the award or not, but as per the prediction made by film fanatics and critics, this is the frontrunner.

Whatever the result would be, I'm not recommending it particularly the common people. Because the film fails to narrate the story which is very essential from the average peoples' perspective to get the message clear and loud. All one can get with this is only the outline on the very important issue at the moment. Remember how the David Attenborough's narration made to reach all the corners of the earth. Confusing over the purpose of the documentary, possibly misleading. Its like watching a news channel on the mute mode. Otherwise, this should have been one of the best of its kind.

5/10… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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