Eli has found himself in a difficult spot with his father and their pastor. An encounter gone wrong in a closely-knit religious community leads to the realization of the title of the film, the destructive consequences of playing too closely with fire, of flying too close to the sun, in the most heartbreaking way for our protagonist. He is located between a rock and a hard place, between desires he cannot deny, desires which take flight from the heteronormative conformity of the world he inhabits, and the oppressive traditionality that is expected of him. 

The film brings to life a heartfelt vulnerability that is both impactful in communicating its intentions, as well as lucid in the despair it portrays. 
Within the framework of its brevity, the end result manages to convey all of this and some more, supported by intelligent choices within the screenplay. The juxtaposition of a fire that empowers, the fire of desire and want for affection and touch, and the fire that consumes and burns, becomes a powerful contrast nestled within the narrative. 
The writing and performances further aid this attempt, ensuring that all of these ideas get realized with ease for the audience to engage with.

Icarus | Short Film of the Day

The film is a meaningful exploration of love in all its intimacy and affection, and the pitfalls and doldrums that might sometimes accompany it. The first element that takes us into the protagonist, Alice's world is the opening night of her play. Alongside the performance on stage, and our introduction to its creator, the narrative ropes in a non-linear trajectory to give a glimpse into situations and realizations that led to this play. 
From endearing romance to heartache, an emotional spectrum is conjured with care and attention to detail. While a conflict unfolds on stage, it is reflected in a parallel strife that is simmering between Alice, and Jesse, an impatient member of the audience, and as we soon discover, her former boyfriend. The two continue to spar in the brief moments of the interval with no end visible in sight to their discontent and disagreements. However, at the same time, a wish fulfillment of sorts, something that could never come to be in real life, is achieved on stage. 
The portrayal of the protagonist is unmissable in its performance, exhibiting deep potential, as the film's many components are shared with the audience. This is further coupled with writing, and screenplay, both of which attempt to play around with the sound edit and music to communicate the film’s intentions in a cohesive manner.

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