By John Corrado

Titled after the Polish word for “eruption,” as in “volcanic,” Erupcja is an indie movie travelogue set in Poland, that provides a scrappy portrait of modern friendship and relationships, starring none other than pop star Charli XCX.

The story follows Charli XCX’s Bethany, a British woman who is on vacation in Warsaw with her boyfriend Rob (Will Madden). Rob wants to take the opportunity to deepen their relationship and propose.

Bethany panics at the thought of commitment, and sneaks away to spend time with her old friend Nel (Lena Góra), who runs the local flower shop. A volcano has erupted in Italy, delaying her flight home to England. Bethany views this volcanic eruption as a serendipitous symbol of her on-again, off-again friendship with Nel.

Directed by Pete Ohs, who also serves as co-writer, executive producer, cinematographer and editor, Erupcja is an example of true indie filmmaking. There is a New Wave sensibility to it, but by way of mid-2000s mumblecore. Ohs also brings his own idiosyncratic touches to it, such as the dry, observational narration by Jacek Zubiel, who omnisciently describes character motives and helps flesh out backstories.

Charli XCX, who’s having a big year between starring in her own mocumentary The Moment and also contributing to the soundtracks for Wuthering Heights and Mother Mary, is the biggest thing about Erupcja. She credibly carries the film with her surprisingly naturalistic performance, adding both a marquee name to the production and indie cred to her own career by starring in such a tiny arthouse project. The rest of the cast, including Jeremy O. Harris as an American artist living in Poland, meshes together nicely.

It’s a relatively slight film, one in which the characters – who were crafted alongside the actors during production – can feel only just sketched out. But it’s kept engaging and enjoyable thanks to the performances and the basic hangout movie vibes. The fact that it does all this in just 71 minutes makes Erupcja a breezy watch.

Film Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)

Erupcja opens exclusively in theatres in limited release on April 24th, including at TIFF Lightbox in Toronto. It’s being distributed in Canada by Vortex Media.