The Burning Season

Every year Tom (Joe Pingue) and his wife Alena (Sara Canning) spend part of their summers visiting the cabins at the picturesque Luna Lake that’s run by couple JB (Jonas Chernick) and Poppy (Tanisha Thammavongsa). The couples soon become close friends, however, unknown to Tom and Poppy, JB and Alena have been having a steamy affair. Their relationship is told in reverse chronology in director Sean Garrity’s The Burning Season, unveiling secrets the lovers have kept buried in the past.

Beginning with a disastrous wedding in which the affair is revealed, each subsequent chapter winds the clock back to the previous year where more information is learned about the relationships between the central characters. It’s an interesting premise that gradually thickens the plot through carefully sprinkled snippets of dialogue. While there are some shocking truths to be uncovered, it takes a large chunk of the runtime to get there. In the meantime, viewers are left with a middle-of-the-road drama that doesn’t contain much in the way of romance.

Set against a backdrop of tranquil forests and an expansive lake, this is a very good-looking film. Especially in shots that frame JB and Alena together overlooking the water, Garrity has created a gorgeous feature. Viewers will fall in love with the location and understand how two people can easily fall in love with each other there too.

Despite the location’s beauty and the physical intimacy between the illicit lovers, there’s little chemistry between Canning and Chernick onscreen. Their interactions are mostly flat, flip-flopping between bursts of passionate lovemaking and angrily declaring that they never want to see each other again. More frustratingly, this lack of emotional connection extends to the other main relationships. Although each actor gives a commendable performance, the spark just isn’t present. With not much happening in terms of plot for most of the movie, there’s consequently not much reason to become invested in the narrative.

Things eventually do get interesting when the origins of JB and Alena’s relationship are discovered. Without spoiling what happens, the final 20 minutes contain a gripping drama that adds an unexpected twist to proceedings. There’s a genuinely enthralling story lurking in The Burning Season. However, it’s not the one this film focuses on.

Andrew Murray

The Burning Season does not have a UK release date yet.

Read more reviews from our Glasgow Film Festival 2024 coverage here.

For further information about the event visit the Glasgow Film Festival website here.