Erupcja ★★★★

Released: 5 June 2026

Director: Pete Ohs

Starring: Charli XCX, Lena Gora, Will Madden

It has become increasingly rare for theatrically released films to feel like they’re artisanal, lived-in, no-budget productions. Note the wording: “feel” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. Films that feel alive, films that feel real, almost like they could be the result of a beautiful accident somehow caught on film. Erupcja, the latest freewheeling character drama from Pete Ohs, operates on that mysterious wavelength and may just bring us one step closer to the return of cinematic mumblecore.

Along with its Polish title comes the Eastern European setting: trading the American landscapes of his narrative features, Ohs opts for the gritty Euro-setting of Warsaw. The titular “eruption” here stems from a life-altering connection between two women: Bethany (Charli XCX) and Nel (Lena Góra) share a bond they believe to be written in the stars. Every time the two meet, an active volcano erupts, leaving the entire world to stop for their moment. Warsaw connects the two with Bethany’s significant other, Rob (Will Madden), who’s planned this trip with the sole purpose of proposing to his partner — only to witness a connection so strong, not even his love could compare.

Amidst this seismic chaos of cosmic coincidences and radical self-discovery, Ohs and his collaborators manage to find beauty in the banal. While not quite Hong Sang-soo levels of improvisation and inebriated on-the-day screenwriting, the writing credit is shared between the director and his on-screen ensemble, giving the film a kind of immediacy only possible through unrestricted creativity. At times, this also results in Erupcja feeling closer to a bohemian hangout session, complete with house parties at rented lofts covered in cigarette ash and red wine stains.

And speaking of bohemian figures: Charli XCX is positioned as the de facto star of the film, and oh man, does she shine. In what is quite a radical departure from her recent outings as either a fictional rendition of her brat persona in The Moment or an altgirl bully in the latest Faces of Death, this is easily her best and most complex performance yet. She captures a certain quiet radiance in Bethany’s infatuation, a free-spirited confusion of someone speeding past the crossroads without a care in the world. It’s really quite remarkable, especially when she gets to share the screen with Lena Góra as the atmosphere becomes truly electric.

Steered by Ohs and his small but dedicated crew, this seemingly amorphous narrative suddenly gets shaped into something authentically human. A breezy 71-minute walk across the streets of Warsaw, Erupcja feels like an antidote to the era of algorithmic entertainment, a film that exists as a demonstration of humanity in its purest—and messiest—form.