Heart of Fire   Starring: Letekidan Micael, Solomie Micael and Seble Tilahun Metrodome Distribution RRP: £15.99 MTD5497 Certificate: 12 Available 18 January 2010

In 1981 ten year old Awet is taken from the convent, the only home she has ever known, to be reclaimed by her father. Her homeland, Eretria, is at war not only against the Ethiopians, who control the land, but against each other. Awet soon becomes a soldier of a communist faction and learns the art of war, but the child is bright and sceptical about the reasons for the slaughter and eventually determines to leave it all behind her...

Heart of Fire (2008 - 1 hr, 28 min, 37 sec) is a drama directed by Luigi Falorni. The screenplay was developed from the autobiographical novel by Senait Mehari and adapted for the screen by Luigi Falorni and Gabriele Kister - although, one of the first things which pop up on the screen is a disclaimer that none of the characters are based on real people.

Not having read the original book I cannot say how far the movie diverges from it. Not that that’s a real problem as neither the director nor produces ram this connection down your throat; in fact the closing script makes it clear that this film is supposed to represent all the 300,000 who find themselves fighting in conflicts.

The story is told from the perspective of ten year old Awet, in truth the young actress, Letekidan Micael, put in a good performance as a young girl who is happy to question authority and the veracity of what she is told is the truth. This is very much her journey, so much so, the other characters do little except act in a way which moves Awet along in her physical and emotional passage.

Although the movie is set in a time of war, the film holds few action sequences and at times the talky nature of its script can make the narrative seem slow. Although the film starts slowly, with Awet being raised by kindly Italian nuns in Asmara, it's well worth watching as Awet journeys through the duplicity of adult life. Her only possession is a card, given to her by one of the nuns, which has on one side a picture of the Virgin Mary, on the reverse the heart of fire.

The film is a German-Austrian co-production. The audio track is in Tigrinya with English subtitles with an optional 2.0 or 5.1 mix. The only extra on the disc is the original theatrical trailer (2 min, 05 sec).

I have no idea what it is called or who composed it, but the closing song deserves recognition for a very beautiful piece of music. Unfortunately the film does not state what it is called, only that all the Eritrean songs were recorded in Nairobi. Anyone out there who knows the song can drop me a line.

If you can forgive the occasional unsubtle propagandising, the central narrative of Awet is engaging and occasionally moving, especially the ending.

6

Charles Packer