Who doesn’t like to sit around a warm, cozy fire on Christmas morning with their family? Well, some don’t have that luxury, so Alex (Justin Miles) films the famous yule log, in different locations around the world, for others to enjoy. When he and his girlfriend Zoe (Andrea Laing) head to a cabin for vacation, he begins filming, as usual–but this time there are repercussions. When others join in, things get rocky. You’ve seen the yule log before, but this is the Adult Swim Yule Log, and what’s in The Fire Place is anything but what you’d expect.
Adult Swim is known for its exclusively adult content and its raunchy humor. It rarely veers from this algorithm, and it often takes viewers down a road of insanity and uncomfortability (in one way or another). The Fire Place is no different–as it employs a series of uncomfortable themes such as rape and death, and they are showcased in a way that feel real, almost tangible. If you’re squeamish, or these things make you uncomfortable, avoid The Fire Place at all costs–but for those of you that are able to stomach horrific acts such as the ones mentioned above, feel free to dive right in, because you’ll feel right at home.
If you address The Fire Place from a political and social standpoint, it’s about as far off the beaten path as possible. Sure, it’s clear that the horrific acts happening right in front of you on screen are wrong–but humor is inserted into these scenarios (effectively boosting the discomfort level and the potential to piss a lot of people off). Incredibly dark humor ultimately drives The Fire Place, and it’s a genre that doesn’t appeal to the masses. The masterminds at Adult Swim know this, they know what their target audience is, and they are unapologetic in their approach toward cinema. The Fire Place ultimately becomes gruesome as a result–and, again, if you can handle it, there’s a bit of cinematic genius to be found in the film.
The narrative is wild (even beyond the absurdities that I’ve previously mentioned)–but it’s impressive that Writer-Director Casper Kelly was able to create an entire film based on the yule log. From maniacal spirits to overindulgences in drugs–The Fire Place is a place for insanity. While the narrative seems to be headed in one direction for the duration–there are pieces of the story that don’t necessarily seem to fit, and I had trouble understanding why they made their way into the film at all. Sure, cutting some of those aspects of the film would have shortened the feature-length film to somewhere under an hour, but I think that The Fire Place would have felt more cohesive as a result of allowing some of these things to make their way to the cutting room floor. I digress, however, as I still believe The Fire Place will find success due to the fact that each and every piece of it keeps pace with what Adult Swim has done for more than fifteen years now.
It’s not often that the acting progresses throughout a film in a linear fashion–but that’s what viewers see in The Fire Place. I was troubled by what each of the actors brought to the table in the opening moments of the film, but as the film moved forward and the story was further developed, the actors seemed to develop with it. Miles, Laing, and the rest got stronger as the film moved on, and their performances ultimately became one of the more interesting aspects of the film as a result.
The Fire Place is a film that appeals to a very niche group of individuals if I’ve ever seen one. With murder and rape woven right into the fabric of the film, there will be a massive group of individuals who will struggle with this one, who will certainly push back and provide negative feedback. For those that have followed Adult Swim for the past fifteen years and have enjoyed the content produced by the company, The Fire Place will likely appeal. The ability to create something from nothing, to develop an entire narrative based on a yule log, is impressive–and Kelly should be commended as a result. He’s found his place in cinema–and I imagine that he’ll continue to develop similar content in the future with equally successful results.
Written & Directed by Casper Kelly.
Starring Andrea Laing, Justin Miles, Hannah Alline, Sean Hankinson, Danielia Maximillian, Skye Passmore, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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