Radik Eshimov’s Burning is a multi-POV Horror story with nosey neighbors, evil spirits, dead kids, and some really clever camerawork. The movie makes no illusions about its connections to Kurosawa’s Rashomon and instead serves as a modern re-imagining of how we engage with subjectivity. It’s a twisty-turny narrative that strives to provide a few good scares and finds time to talk about the excuses people make to avoid acknowledging domestic abuse.
Looking for a shelter from the rain, a group of neighbours converge on their local corner store and discuss the excitement of the day. One of the houses in their neighbourhood caught fire but there is much debate about why the fire started and who is to blame. And as we later learn, not everyone has a full perspective of what happened in that house. Some believe it was nothing more than a tragic accident, while others believe the Horrors swirling inside the house were the work of a Djinn and a mother-in-law’s meddling. What we do know for sure is that a young family that has already been met with immense tragedy has been once again plunged into heartache and pain.
“[…] a bold little indie punching above it’s weight class that utilizes the genre’s ability to explore the darkness of the human soul.“
Akira Kurosawa’s 1950 Thriller Rashomon has been endlessly cited as a source of inspiration for filmmakers looking to tell stories from multiple points of view. And for good reason, it’s a brilliant film. Rashomon concerns a brutal act of violence, told from the perspective of 4 different characters (including a ghost!) whose narratives of what happened and why, differ wildly from person to person. One of genius strokes of Rashomon is that it never reveals the “truth” of what happened. It presents several realities and plays more with the subjectivity of a happening and how each story is its own truth. Burning, instead, does decide eventually to frame one particular narrative as the ultimate truth and builds out from there.
It’s not necessarily a bad decision, especially given how differently we discuss subjectivity these days, but it is something that makes the other version events feel like they were given more screen time than needed. Also, the limited perspectives do pigeon hole the possibilities a little bit where more mystery could have been developed. As a pure Rashomon riff, it strays pretty far from its inspiration, but it’s still a great framework for a modern tale of Domestic Horror.
“Although not a shockingly imaginative retelling of the classic Kurosawa story, Burning is a very strong debut. “
Radik Eshimov makes a very strong debut with Burning, thanks in part to some unexpected narrative choices and an eye for inventive camera tricks. The cast as well deliver strong performances, including some who are asked to portray multiple versions of the same characters. Although not a shockingly imaginative retelling of the classic Kurosawa story, Burning is a bold little indie punching above it’s weight class that utilizes the genre’s ability to explore the darkness of the human soul.
Radik Eshimov’s Burning celebrated its North American Premiere at the 2025 Fantasia Film Festival. Click HERE to follow our continued coverage of the festival and let us know if you have an evil mother-in-law over in The Official Nightmare on Film Street Discord! Social Media is a Cesspool. Come Hang Out Where All The Cool Creeps Are..
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