Written and Directed by Jesse Noah Klein
Starring Sarah Sutherland and Jared Abrahamson
Available for digital rental/purchase on March 30

by Miguel Alejandro Marquez, Staff Writer

2021 has not been a good year for movies. We have been in a film drought. The releases that piqued the interest of film viewers, such as Black Widow and Death on the Nile, have been pushed back. Those that have succeeded in the current Covid market have been indie features that would have been previously ignored by the general public. Like a House on Fire was a film released at Sundance in early 2020; an indie feature that shows the struggle of a woman trying to reclaim her family from her past mistakes. This drama has now been put in the film purgatory known as “direct-to-streaming”. A hell-hole that most releases have been subjected to. It’s a shame really, both the cinematography and aspect ratio of the film insist that it should be something shown on the big screen, not on this critic’s laptop.

Like a House on Fire doesn’t have the sizzle of a typical drama, but it does have the flash of an indie feature trying to show what people go through during a divorce. Sarah Sutherland gives a phenomenal performance as a woman trying to reconnect with a family that doesn’t want anything to do with her. A woman with a vague backstory, lacking any real detail of her past mistakes. This works in the film’s favor, as Sutherland’s performance of the character Dara acts as a blank whiteboard for what happened prior to the film’s events. Each scene feels more poignant due to not knowing all the details. But the film’s vagueness and lack of action can be tedious at times.

There is very little meat on the bones of this film. I craved for a movie that had a versatile look into the life of the protagonist. An introspection into a character that started out as an interesting look into those who suffer from mental illness. I was left knowing that the film ended on a low note, with no real resolve to the issues. I was left famished at the end. Mental illness was merely window dressing to the drama of the film; the feature was really a discussion on what it means to be a mother. It ditched the dialogue of what it means to be mentally ill, to merely service the issue of Dara’s maternal problems and what she can be as a mother. The film was an egregiously long first act that simply ended.

I must say that this film did captivate me in the middle act. The dialogue felt like daggers, driving into the heart of each character. On multiple occasions, it seems as if Dara was attacked on all sides, her mind even becoming her enemy at times. The park scene especially, where both the cinematography and the audio give the impression of a fractured mind, trying desperately to find resolve. Action and reaction become the modes that the protagonist is forced to deal with. She is desperate and pressed against the wall. Every conversation could make or break her future with her daughter. Every character comes with a viewpoint and a subtext to every discussion. Every interaction becomes a challenge for her and her future. The scenes with Jordan, feel like moments of introspection, therapy sessions with someone who makes spaghetti and tries his hardest to flirt.

Like a House on Fire is an attempt to show a complex character, Dara, and her struggle. Her dynamic as both a mother and a wife was something that was intriguing, but rarely ever explored. We saw her try to reconnect with her husband after discussing divorce, an event that I would say was the most impactful. But past the halfway mark, I wanted more. I wanted to see more than scenes of people talking, discussing why our protagonist is unable to have the life she wants. I wanted Dara to struggle and I wanted the struggle to be violent. I wanted to see this protagonist be dealt with a series of decisions that shaped her character. Actions that built up to the birthday party scene, the character’s lowest emotional point.

Deep down, the issue that the film faces is having an inactive protagonist. A protagonist that only confronts her issues at the bitter end. Both her and her issues float from scene to scene, with no real progress. It’s static. There is no real action for the character to commit. The film begins, only for it to end when it feels like the story has been concluded. I was left with a woman who got past her emotional trauma, but no real introspection into who she might become. All the drama merely dissolved, rather than coming to a definite conclusion.

It’s a film that gives soft blows, instead of giving hard hits. All in all, a drama that could have become a melodrama if it wasn’t coordinated and executed the way it was intended. Cinematically, this film is excellent and beautifully shot.

Go into this film knowing that this is an effort done by Jesse Noah Klein that reflects his dramatic style. His aesthetic of low-fi, indie introspection can be seen as compelling by some but left this critic wanting more.