FIRE FUCKING FIRE: A Rock Fan’s One Night Stand Becomes A One Day Nightmare
If you slept with your favorite rock star, would you want to wake up to see that performer’s raucous friends and enablers crash your once-calm abode? If your best friend suggested that you either embrace that insanity or destroy your romantic future with that performer, which choice would you make? How would you know that said singer thought you were either a one-night stand or a once-in-a-lifetime soulmate?
First bowing at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival, and with future fest showings in the works, directors/writers Julia Eringer and Rachel Paulson’s hectic but contemplative comedy Fire Fucking Fire presents how those decisions test Ally (played by Paulson), the smitten admirer of sexy rock band frontwoman Meg Taylor (played by actor/singer Calico Cooper, daughter of the spectacularly provocative shock rocker Alice Cooper), after they have an unforgettable evening between the sheets.
By sunrise, though, Meg’s charm evaporates into creepiness, with Ally bombarded by her crush’s obnoxious attitude, her freakish behavior and her unsettling fascination with her one-time fan. While Meg works Ally’s nerves and trashes her house, Ally’s persuasive bestie Jess (Capri Campeau) is more amused than aggravated by Meg’s antics, and more convinced that her hell-raising personality is something that Ally should try to tolerate while keeping her love for Meg — in a romantic sense — rocking.
As Ally’s anger amps up to eleven, and with her house feeling more like an outrageous post-concert backstage party, surprise guest — and Meg’s scorned former partner Sam (Vico Ortiz) — teaches Ally that her beautiful but opportunistic idol has done to her what she did to Sam and to all of Meg’s naive followers: capture them with her celebrity, seduce them with her sensuality, humiliate them with her boorishness and betray them by hooking up with a new but temporary lover. No longer enamored of Meg, Ally reclaims her emotional peace, and her life, from the entitled crooner, who bitterly finds that relationships are as much about understanding someone’s personal needs as they are about a couple’s love.
As co-stars in writer/director Wendy Jo Carlton’s 2018 rom-com Good Kisser, Eringer and Paulson had as much chemistry off the set as they did on it. After the film’s production concluded, Paulson’s online communication with a vibrant musician and Eringer’s disquieting memories of a childhood where songs weren’t the only thing making noise in her dwelling motivated the multi-hyphenates to collaborate on Fire Fucking Fire.
Following the movie’s Tribeca premiere, the team expounded on Fire’s compelling union of surreal comedy, genuine performances, discomfiting cinematography and emphatic original tunes, including one from Cooper’s heavy metal group Beasto Blanco — a blend that heats up Paulson and Eringer’s story of an overnight fling-turned home-wrecking disaster.
Chris Hadley: What inspired you to make Fire Fucking Fire? Were there any real-life experiences that influenced the movie’s storyline and characters, and if so, how were they adapted into the film?
Rachel Paulson (co-star, “Ally”, co-writer and co-director, Fire Fucking Fire): When we were shooting Good Kisser I was actually DM’ing with a famous rock star who asked me to come to her show in Seattle, where we were shooting the film. I asked Julia to come with me, and she said no because we were shooting from 5 PM to 5 AM, and she then came up with this fun little skit that would have been if this encounter went terribly wrong!
Julia Eringer (co-director/co-writer, Fire Fucking Fire): When I was a kid, my Dad had a recording studio in our house. Sometimes I’d come downstairs, and there’d be all these musicians taking over. So I think that the film was partly me working out some of the trauma of those early experiences of having my house invaded by rockers.
CH: How and when did you first begin planning Fire Fucking Fire, and how did you both work on developing the concept and characters for this film?
RP: We started conceptualizing the film on set for Good Kisser. We were working night shoots, and Julia and I loved each other right away. I think we knew we would end up doing something else together. After the film, we had a fan base, and they kept saying we should work together again, so we revisited this, which was going to be made for a super low budget just to see if we could direct, and it then turned into this amazing project.
JE: The original script was a few scenes that I had written back in 2018 after Rachel and I worked together on Good Kisser. Ally was based on Rachel and Meg was based on the rock star she was DM’ing while we were working together. Jess and Sam were secondary characters I created in that initial draft. As Rachel said, years later we decided to make something together, and I sent her the original script I wrote, and we turned it into a short.
CH: Besides Rachel, the rest of the film’s cast is also incredible — including Calico Cooper (daughter of Alice Cooper) as Ally’s longtime crush/musician Meg Taylor, Capri Campeau as Ally’s pushy best pal Jess, and Vico Ortiz as Meg’s startled ex Sam. How did you find those actors, what did they bring to the table as far as their performances were concerned, and how did their work help contribute to the zany but ultimately poignant vibe that you wanted to establish in this film?
RP: Julia and Calico shared the same manager at the time, and she pitched Calico to her. We ended up being so lucky that she loved the script because I now can see no one else as Meg. She’s a real-life rock star and ended up giving the film an original song that has never been released. Capri is an influencer in the LGBTQ+ space, and I knew her slightly. When I read the final version of Jess, I knew Capri was who we had to go with. She brought such an amazing improv voice to the project, she’s so funny, and I think having her was critical.
JE: We wrote the role of Sam for Vico Ortiz and are so grateful that they agreed to do it. Each of the actors brought so much to the project. I worked with each of them to make sure that their zaniness stayed grounded and anchored in something true. That was very important to me — the characters needed to be real and three-dimensional, otherwise the story and the comedy wouldn’t work. We spent a few days rehearsing, mainly playing character games and giving the actors the experience of being the characters rather than running lines.
CH: Tell me about Vico’s character (Sam) and their relation to Meg, Ally, and Jess in the film’s storyline.
JE: Sam is a crucial character in that their arrival means that Ally’s bubble of illusion is well and truly burst. Ally finally sees what we’ve known all along, that the fantasy that she’s holding onto is just that — a fantasy. In fact, Meg doesn’t see much of Ally at all, except for a place to keep partying and a new distraction for her brain that she’s so desperately seeking refuge from. Sam’s presence confirms that Ally is just another in a string of Meg’s lovesick fans, and the love and validation she’s been desperately seeking from Meg is never going to materialize. The only place Ally can get that love and validation is from herself.
CH: The importance of setting personal boundaries in one’s life, the overwhelming nature of fame, the feelings of awkwardness and anxiety that come with finding yourself close to it, and the harmful ways that social media exacerbates those feelings are reflected not just in the performances of the cast but also in everything from the movie’s cinematography and sound design to its music and costumes. Describe how all of those elements were crafted to exude the internal and external struggles of not just Ally but also Meg, Jess and the crazy atmosphere that Meg’s presence creates in Ally’s world.
JE: We always talked about the film as an invasion of privacy nightmare, and everything in the frame reflected that de-evolution. It begins soft and glow-y with wide lenses to lend a feel of fantasy. Then it becomes more realistic-looking as Ally sees Meg for who she really is and the saturation increases as the red flags (in their relationship) get redder. By the time we are in the party scene, camera movements are more erratic, and we bring in the Snorricam (a camera fastened to an actor’s body, filming their face in a stationary manner while everything else moves around them).
The saturation levels are very high with neon greens, blues, and reds. The costume also reflects that as Meg’s outfits get more and more outlandish and freaky while Ally somehow never manages to get dressed and remains in her pajamas — which is the ultimate nightmare when you’re with your rock star crush and your house party is being broadcast online.
RP: I think Meg is used to getting what she wants because she plows over boundaries and she’s a celebrity. I also think she’s at her core so insecure that she’s not able to even hear other people’s boundaries when they lay them out. We wanted this to feel like an anxiety-inducing fever dream, that takes people on the ride of Ally being able to stand up for herself, even if she does it in the wrong way, or too late into the game. Our entire team really understood what we were going for with that theme, and I think (they) truly executed it well. I also think Julia and I were pretty clear in our vision to have these things happen from the start, so everyone really stepped up.
CH: Julia, in what ways did you work with both Rachel and the other members of the film’s cast to establish the comedic and dramatic sides of the story through their performances in a realistic fashion?
JE: We had two days of rehearsal in which we played character games rather than running lines. To me the key was in giving the actors playable actions and obstacles that kept their performances rooted in something tangible and real — that kept them realistic instead of being too broad. I also always want my actors to feel free to take risks and encourage them to improvise if they feel called to. Some of the funniest lines in the film came from improvising.
CH: How will audiences relate not just to the characters of this film but also to the situation they experience and the problems that arise within it for them?
RP: I know everyone out there has that one person that they would die to have in their house, or even better, in their bed. Even celebrities have celebrity crushes, so I think relating to the dangers and obsessions around that part of life. I also know everyone out there has issues with (or is able to put down strong) boundaries. I think this is a major part of life and people will seriously relate to how it feels to do that, or not do that.
JE: Yeah, I know I related to all of the characters in the film. I totally understand not speaking up and allowing yourself to get bulldozed which is what happens to Ally. I relate to Meg in that the voices in her head are very loud and she needs entertainment and validation to quieten them. I understand Jess wanting to have fun because you only live once and even Sam is relatable as the jilted lover fighting for their woman.
CH: How do the songs heard in Fire Fucking Fire tie to each of the characters and the film’s storyline, and what was the process like for creating/performing those songs?
JE: The opening song is by local Santa Fe artists Buglet and 10th Dentist. Their song “First Love” perfectly fits with the opening of our movie, mirroring what it’s like to be in the fantasy stage — the honeymoon period where everything is seemingly perfect. The second song we used is by another local band (Karen), this time from Albuquerque. Karen’s sound captured the manic energy we were looking for in the scene in which Ally realizes that she’s in trouble and Meg isn’t planning on leaving. We were after a sound like Yeah Yeah Yeahs — something that captured Meg’s chaotic and wild energy almost like a tornado.
Our editor, Alexandria Bombach, found both of those songs — they have an incredible ear. We got very lucky with our third song. We knew we wanted to have Meg performing during the party scene, and we were floored when Calico said she had written and recorded a song with her band that was unreleased and wasn’t going to make it on their album because it was too glam for their sound. She graciously allowed us to use her unreleased song for the party scene and her band showed up to play along to it! It was one of the most epic moments of the shoot.
CH: Fire Fucking Fire recently debuted at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. What has that experience been like, how have audiences responded to it, and in what ways will its screening at this prestigious event help to boost not just your creative careers but also that of the rest of the film’s cast and crew?
RP: Playing at Tribeca has been an absolute dream. Not only is it one of the most amazing festivals in the world, but they are also truly great to filmmakers. The events and films have all been such high quality with such great people. I know that it has led to Julia and I meeting with producers and financiers regarding the next projects we have lined up, as well as allowing the film to get into other festivals. The press we have received from the screenings has boosted us, and the audiences I have seen really loved the movie! I’m floored.
JE: Tribeca is such a fantastic festival. It’s such an honor to screen here. The audiences have been great. It’s so wonderful to hear them laugh and gasp during the film. The seal of approval that Tribeca brings to the whole team is invaluable, and I’m so, so happy and proud to be a part of the Tribeca family.
CH: In what ways will Fire Fucking Fire and films like this help to realistically portray the LGBTQIA community, as well as their stories, their experiences and their lives?
RP: I know with my work, I want to put LGBTQIA+ into situations that people in the straight community would also be in, instead of the stories being about them being gay, it should just be something they are. I think this is a way to truly put these stories into the mainstream. I also think (that) this movie getting into festivals that aren’t LGBTQIA+ only (don’t get me wrong, I love those, too!) will showcase the diversity of the team and the story.
JE: I think queer stories that don’t focus on queer trauma are imperative to the narrative, and stories which show queer people speaking up and not giving their power away are also imperative. Our film does both and I’m really proud of that.
CH: How will this film and others like it help to give LGBTQIA actors and filmmakers opportunities to succeed in the entertainment industry, and what opportunities did you provide such talents on this project?
JE: Almost the entire cast and crew was made up of women, gender-expansive folks, and queer people. I’d say over 90% of the people who worked on this film fell into one or more of those demographics. It was really important to us that we had authentic representation behind and in front of the camera.
CH: What have you both taken away from the experience of making this film?
RP: I know now that I want Julia to do everything I do. She’s just so talented and working with her has been such a dream. Honestly, working with this whole cast and crew has been such a great experience, and being on set was such a nurturing environment. I wish all sets were like this one.
JE: Self-belief.
CH: What will audiences take away from watching it?
RP: I really want audiences to fall in love with the characters and feel Ally’s pain. I also want them to understand the themes we’re trying to work with within this film. We have both said, this film is like a ride, and I really want audiences to be on that ride with us each time. Also, I hope they think it’s as cringey and funny as we do!
JE: I hope that audiences enjoy the ride. Every beat ups the stakes, and it gets more and more outlandish. I want audiences to have a lot of fun watching it, and then, later on, when they’re thinking about it, they can say, “well, gosh, I do that, and maybe I don’t want to do that. What’s a way that I can be truer to myself and be clearer with my boundaries so that I don’t end up in an explosive situation?” That’s what I hope people take away from watching it.
Find out more about Fire Fucking Fire on Instagram:
