Pete Ohs Interview: Crafting the Surreal Visual Language of His New Film “Erupcja”

Erupcja is a film by maverick filmmaker Pete Ohs about a romantic vacation goes awry when a volcanic eruption strands Bethany (Charli xcx) and her soon-to-be fiancé (and ex), Rob (Will Madden) in Warsaw, Poland. Rob has a ring and has his proposal planned to the letter. But things don’t go as planned because Bethany isn’t interested in marriage. She may not even be interested in Rob.

After moving from Los Angeles to Warsaw, Ohs tries his hand at making a “foreign film.”  With Erupcja, Ohs understands that international cinema is received differently and certain aspects of the story are often lost in translation. The idea for Erupcja began when a friend of his got stuck in Warsaw for a mnoth after an Icelandic volcanic eruption in 2010 that grounded all flights.

Ohs describes his whimsical anti-romantic comedy as containing a bit of Celine and Julie Go Boating, a bit of Before Sunrise, and a bit of Alice In The Cities. The filmmaker doesn’t seek to pay homage to these films, but rather, use them as inspiration to explore the challenges of relationships and our tendancy to infer profound meaning on to random events such as a volcano. Erupcja lies at the intersection of drama and metaphor. Pete Ohs shares his thoughts on his unconventional approach to filmmaking.

What are you thematically exploring about romantic attraction?

Romanticizing anything is an alluring activity that shifts one’s perspective away from reality. For this, it can be dangerous. It can also be so incredibly enjoyable. Like memories, it’s an act of projection and projecting meaning. The feelings evoked are powerful. I was curious to explore the challenges of balancing romance and reality as it’s not always clear how best to navigate it.

Describe the cultural nuances and considerations in setting your story in Poland?

We had a cultural consultant, Zofia Chlebowska, who was integral to helping me understand what’s being lost in translation. She helped ensure the Polish elements of the film were honest and accurate. In my own experience and observation, Warsaw is a very specific city that wears its history on its sleeve. This relation to memory felt connected to our main characters who are actively remembering and misremembering the past to justify their present day actions.

Pete Ohs. Photo by Marshall Tidrick

How do you envisage the audiences experiences the film with multiple languages?

Something happens to a viewer when they have to read subtitles. I’m not certain, but I feel like the imagination is engaged differently. I’ve been told by multiple audience members that when they think about the movie, they remember the narration in English. It’s bizarre how the human brain can create a Mandela effect. I also like how the dialogue of a language you don’t speak can take on a musical quality. It evokes emotion and tone like an instrument.

Explain the literal and metaphorical aspects of the “eruption.”

A volcanic eruption is a destructive force that also generates new land and eventual growth. That’s both literal and metaphoric and I like how something can be both bad and good.

Since you don’t film from a completed script, how detailed is your shooting outline?

We start production with at least half of an outline which is primarily a bullet point list of scenes. Sometimes there will be traces of dialogue, but mostly it’s a series of connected scenes that set the stage and get the ball rolling. We write the lines of dialogue the night before or morning of each day of shooting which becomes our shooting script. While we are creating with an improvisational energy, the actual filming happens in a traditional way with a locked script, multiple set ups, and as many takes as necessary to feel good about moving on.

How do you ensure consistent story logic?

I’ve read Save the Cat! and other screenwriting books. I’ve watched and analyzed lots of movies. I’ve also edited feature films I didn’t direct. I feel like I have story structure pretty well internalized. I try to make sure each scene connects and is a necessary link in the chain. As long as A connects to B and B connects to C, eventually we will arrive at Z with some sense of logic.

How are the scenes workshopped both in prep and on set?

I write a first draft of a scene in the Notes app and text it to the group for all to collaborate. At dinner or breakfast, we sit around and talk through the scene, ideally in the location where we will shoot. We revise the lines while ideating the blocking, and by the end of the meal, the scene is written and already essentially rehearsed.

What were the elements of character discovery that arose during filming?

Because we’re writing as we shoot chronologically, we are living the story the same as our characters. Everything is a discovery. For example, we thought we knew when Rob would propose, but once we arrived to the location and started shooting, it became clear that these ladies were leaving no room for his big moment and he wouldn’t have the nerve to intervene. Things like this were being discovered everyday.

by Staff Writer

From our in-house editorial team.