It’s been a LONG time since I’ve done a Movie Spotlight article. While in the process of moving, I came across a short film that… I became low-key obsessed with (not gonna lie). I was originally going to put it in my Favorite Short Films series, but I really wanted to give it its own dedication. Bartosz Kruhlik impacted my life with a short film that made me feel shock, horror, sympathy, and dread in the best ways. Before I get into any details, I’m going to provide the film at the top of the article if you’d like to watch it first, because I will be spoiling it down below! I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think of Żar (The Heat)!! (SPOILER ALERT!!!) (RAPE TRIGGER WARNING IN VIDEO AND DISCUSSION BELOW!!!)

Żar follows Michael (Aleksander Sosinski), a young boy traveling to meet up with the girl of his dreams, Anne (Sara Bartkowska). After an awkward but fun day together, Anne leaves Michael alone and he soon finds himself taken hostage by a sadistic stranger, Patrick (Rafal Fudalej).

What really affected me in this film were the performances. When it comes to Aleksander Sosinski, his performance hit me the most. Michael started out as this eager kid in love and the way he completely changes by the end of the film… it’s like he’s a completely different person, and that perfectly showcased how much a traumatic experience can change someone. Aleksander really sold the trauma Michael was put through, with his acting, yes, but mostly with just his eyes. He was so believable, and I just felt so bad for him. I also want to give props to Rafal Fudalej. Patrick was a very conflicted character. He enjoyed making Michael suffer and making him afraid. Then his whole demeanor shifts and he suddenly had this internal struggle when it came to killing Michael. When it came to Anne, Sara Bartkowska did a wonderful job as well! She fooled Michael with her sweet demeanor and she never showed an ounce of her ulterior motives.

A lot of people were confused about Anne’s role in the whole thing. They determined that her character wasn’t necessary at all, she just hung out with Michael then disappeared for no reason. I probably would’ve been confused as well if I watched it before reading that she was the one who intentionally lured him there for Patrick. Going into it knowing that information, it made a lot of sense to me.

There were two different ways I interpreted the story/motives:

Interpretation 1: Anne and Patrick were looking to rob and kill Michael. She was the bait and after she lured him to a specific spot, she ducked out and left Patrick to deal with Michael. This was Patrick’s first time doing something like this, and he intended to rob, rape, and kill him. He believed he could do it, and he did the first two with no problem. However, when it came to the moment when he actually had to kill him, he realized he didn’t have the murderous tendency he thought he did, so he let him go instead.

Interpretation 2: This was all Anne’s idea and it’s a fetish thing. She lured Michael so Patrick can play his twisted little game while Anne watched. I noticed how much Patrick looked all around as he was guiding Michael all over the woods. Was he making sure no one was watching, or was he making sure Anna was there to see everything? I think he really did intend to let Michael go after doing all of that, and when he walked away from him, Anne was the one who stopped him and told him they couldn’t let him live. That’s when he came back and tried to light Michael on fire. Of course, he couldn’t go through with it and he blindfolded Michael and disappeared.

Now, one thing I’ll never understand is how male rape is perceived as a joke in a lot of movies/TV shows. In Wedding Crashers, one of the main characters was raped by a woman, then he later fell in love with her and married her. In EuroTrip, a young man couldn’t pronounce the safeword at a sex club and he was violated with multiple objects. In A Haunted House, the main character was raped by a ghost one night and his girlfriend joked that he got “alter boy-ed.” It is honestly so horrible and messed up that something like that could constantly be joked about like it’s not a serious issue. That’s another reason this film stuck out for me. What happened to Michael wasn’t treated as a joke. It was horrible to witness and it was treated like the serious and sickening subject that it is.

There were many elements that just worked so well. The music really added to the unease of the situation, and that was all thanks to Katarzyna Figat, the sound editor. This short film just really affected me in a way that hasn’t happened in a long time. The overall tone reminded me of films like I Spit On Your Grave or Eden Lake, when it comes to the intensity, melancholy, and unpredictability. I’m very curious to hear your thoughts on this short film! Do you think the subject matter went too far? Did you find the beginning of the story confusing? Let me know in the comments below!