When Ally (Rachel Paulson) excitedly calls her bestie, Jess (Capri Campeau), in the morning-after scenario of a pinch-me like hook-up, she can’t quite believe herself when she announces that in her bed is a bona fide rockstar. Better than hooking up with the high-school teacher she was obsessed with, and “gayer than Rihanna”, Ally’s bed buddy is Meg Taylor (Calico Cooper), frontwoman of Fire F*cking Fire, a reckless, unpredictable rocker, and the soon-to-be-source of Ally’s unexpected crisis.
Such is the premise of Fire F*cking Fire, a short comedy of errors from Paulson (serving as co-director and writer) and Julia Eringer (lead director and writer) that looks at women vocalising their truth in establishing boundaries in their own space. As much as the message is one of importance though, especially for women, there’s still a sense of situational humour about the film’s temperament.
As the shine of Ally’s celebrity sexcapade wears off as she witnesses Meg’s unusual morning routine and her subsequent disregard of Ally’s belongings, we watch in almost panicked disbelief that she allows such an invasiveness to overthrow her in her own home. But as much as we want to shake her out of her silence, it’s a mentality audiences are likely to identify with too. Sometimes our voices can’t articulate our true feelings, especially in the company of someone we think we want to impress.
Fire F*cking Fire is ultimately about listening to our own intuition and realising that the fantasy is never as majestic as it paints itself to be. Additionally, as much as the film centres around queer women, the narrative here is quite universal, and having this be a story between Ally and Meg simply helps queer characters be accepted into a world where their interactions don’t have to be laced in romance (forbidden or otherwise) or trauma. If the characters were straight, the outcome of the story wouldn’t change, and Fire F*cking Fire is another prime example of someone’s sexual identity not serving as their whole being.
Humorous, uncomfortable and relatable, Fire F*cking Fire helps amplify both female creative voices and queer-led stories without coming across like it’s pushing any type of agenda. Everyone makes mistakes, and it’s refreshing to see Paulson and Eringer acknowledge that with a certain inclusivity.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Fire F*cking Fire screened as part of this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, which ran between June 5th and 16th, 2024. For more information head to the official Tribeca Film Festival page.
