Movie

Afire

2023 · 103 min

A slow-burn, sun-dappled character study that simmers with quiet tension and existential dread, anchored by a prickly protagonist and a looming environmental threat.

Overview: Self-important author Leon joins his best friend on a summer holiday near the Baltic Sea to complete his novel. When they arrive, they find their house is already occupied by a carefree woman who challenges Leon to open up. Meanwhile, forest wildfires rage around them and impending disaster looms.

Search YouTube for the trailer

Stream in the UK

MUBI

More options Data from JustWatch

In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: tensestrength 2 of 3
melancholicstrength 2 of 3
satiricalstrength 1 of 3
earneststrength 1 of 3
Pacing: slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: identity
isolation
obsession
grief
class
Places: countryside
single country house
sea
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: ensemble
Content intensity: Gore mild
Language mild
Violence mild
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	2
Horror	2
Humour	4
Realism	8
Romance	4
Tension	6
Darkness	6
Complexity	6
Emotional weight	7

Titles like Afire

Movie

Transit

2018

A hushed, dreamlike fugue of waiting and longing, where dread and tenderness press quietly against each other until the air feels heavy.

Same director: Christian Petzold · Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about identity and isolation

Also: Same director: Christian Petzold
Via: tense
melancholic
identity
isolation
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 102 min

Details In your watch list

TransitHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Miroirs No. 3

2025

A quiet, unsettling stay in a country house where grief and unspoken need simmer under polite surfaces, demanding patience and rewarding it with a haunting, restrained emotional payoff.

Same director: Christian Petzold · Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about identity and isolation

Also: Same director: Christian Petzold
Via: tense
melancholic
identity
isolation
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 86 min

Details In your watch list

Miroirs No. 3Hidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Love of Your Life

2026

A quiet, aching journey through grief and slow healing, carried by intimate moments and a bittersweet sense of hope.

Melancholic, slow-burn · about identity and isolation

Via: melancholic
identity
isolation
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 109 min

Details In your watch list

Love of Your LifeHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Verity

2026

A sleek, chilly thriller that keeps you uneasy, constantly second-guessing what's real and who's lying.

Tense · about obsession and grief

Via: tense
obsession
grief
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 117 min

Details In your watch list

VerityHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Great Beauty

2013

A languid, visually intoxicating drift through Rome's high society, where glittering parties mask a profound existential ache and the search for meaning.

Melancholic, slow-burn · about identity and isolation

Via: melancholic
identity
isolation
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 142 min

Details In your watch list

The Great BeautyHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Barbara

2012

A quiet, watchful experience where small gestures carry the weight of surveillance and choice, leaving a lingering sense of restraint and quiet hope.

Same director: Christian Petzold · Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about identity and isolation

Also: Same director: Christian Petzold
Via: tense
melancholic
identity
isolation
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 105 min

Details In your watch list

BarbaraHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Burning

2018

A slow, haunting experience that lingers in ambiguity, with quiet tension and a sense of unease that builds to a disturbing climax.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about identity and isolation

Via: tense
melancholic
identity
isolation
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 148 min

Details In your watch list

BurningHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

A Bigger Splash

2015

A sun-drenched, slow-burning psychodrama of jealousy and desire, with moments of absurd humour and underlying dread.

Tense, slow-burn · about identity and obsession · ensemble

Via: tense
identity
obsession
ensemble
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 125 min

Details In your watch list

A Bigger SplashHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Fatherland

2026

A quiet, black-and-white journey through ruins and memory, steeped in grief and moral unease, with moments of tender beauty.

Melancholic, slow-burn · about identity and grief

Via: melancholic
identity
grief
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 82 min

Details In your watch list

FatherlandHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Fall 2: Deadpoint

2026

A vertigo-inducing survival thriller that keeps you tense and breathless, with emotional undertones of grief and betrayal.

Tense, melancholic · about isolation and grief

Via: tense
melancholic
isolation
grief
Pacing: relentless
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 98 min

Details In your watch list

Fall 2: DeadpointHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Broke

2025

A quiet, snowbound struggle that feels like a slow exhale of regret, with flashes of warmth and a stubborn hope.

Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about identity and isolation

Via: tense
melancholic
identity
isolation
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 104 min

Details In your watch list

BrokeHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Ghosts

2005

A quiet, haunting drift through Berlin, leaving you unsettled and aching for its lost characters.

Same director: Christian Petzold · Tense, melancholic, slow-burn · about identity and isolation

Also: Same director: Christian Petzold
Via: tense
melancholic
identity
isolation
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 85 min

Details In your watch list

GhostsHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

Stream

MUBI

Free

BBC iPlayer

Rent

Apple TV Store
Rakuten TV
Amazon Video
Curzon Home Cinema
BFI Player
YouTube

Buy

Apple TV Store
Rakuten TV
Amazon Video
Sky Store
YouTube

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres: drama, romance, comedy
Directed by: Christian Petzold
Written by: Christian Petzold
Starring: Thomas Schubert, Paula Beer, Langston Uibel, Enno Trebs, Matthias Brandt, Jennipher Antoni, Ralph Barnebeck, Esther Esche
Cinematography: Hans Fromm
Runtime: 103 min
Country: Germany
Languages: German, Spanish

TMDB IMDb Letterboxd Wikipedia Wikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.

Afire

How it feels

More like this

Titles like Afire

Where to watch in the UK

Details