U.S. Exclusive Trailer for Who by Fire Showcases Philippe Lesage’s Beautiful, Exceptional Drama

      After his insightful coming-of-age film Genesis, Quebecois director Philippe Lesage has broadened his focus with Who by Fire, a rich, intimate, and psychologically engaging drama that follows two families during a secluded retreat at a remote cabin, grappling with career and romantic rivalries. Following its premieres at Berlinale and the New York Film Festival, KimStim has acquired the outstanding drama for release this spring. As we approach the March 14 opening at NYC's Film at Lincoln Center (with Lesage present for Q&As during the opening week) and the March 21 opening at LA's Laemmle Theatres, we are excited to exclusively unveil the first U.S. trailer.

      Here is the synopsis: “A retreat at a hidden log cabin in the woods transforms into the backdrop for growing, multigenerational tensions and anxieties in this unsettling, masterfully crafted coming-of-age drama from Quebec filmmaker Philippe Lesage (Genesis, New Directors/New Films). Initially seen as a joyful reunion between well-known film director Blake Cadieux (Arieh Worthalter, 2024 César winner for Best Actor for The Goldman Case) and his longtime friend and former collaborator Albert Gary (Paul Ahmarani), the vacation gradually reveals itself to be far more intricate and unstable, especially with the volatile mix of Albert’s teenage son’s best friend, Jeff (Noah Parker), and Albert’s assertive daughter Aliocha (Aurélia Arandi-Longpré). Long-standing middle-aged resentments emerge, set against the worries of the youth, all portrayed delicately by Lesage, who has recently shown an unmatched ability to portray the psychological nuances of teenagers navigating challenging emotional terrains. Featuring exhilaratingly choreographed dinner scenes filled with rising tension, Who by Fire establishes Lesage as a significant contemporary filmmaker, adeptly balancing the naturalistic with the dreamlike, the joyful (notably highlighted by a vibrant dance sequence to The B-52s) and the foreboding.”

      David Katz remarked in his Berlinale review, “It’s an authentically unrequited, anti-love triangle, and like in his previous films, Lesage thoughtfully examines but never sentimentalizes adolescent behavior: what we witness is raw, tentative, at times perplexing, and presented to us as if in a clinical environment, under stark lighting.”

      Watch the exclusive trailer premiere below and stay tuned for my conversation with Lesage.