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Movies Aren’t Real Life, But Who by Fire Comes Pretty Close

In Philippe Lesage’s mesmerizing new film, a rural getaway becomes the setting for old resentments and new calamities.

Now playing in New York (and hopefully expanding in coming weeks), Lesage’s hypnotic film isn’t a horror movie at all — it’s a drama, though at times it’s also a comedy — but the Quebecois director understands tension and anticipation. The cabin in question is a well-appointed one, belonging to an acclaimed filmmaker, Blake Cadieux (Arieh Worthalter), who has awards on the shelf and a hard-on for outdoorsy pursuits like bow hunting and fly fishing and white-water rafting. And immersive, too: Who by Fire was shot partly with Panavision lenses from the 1970s, and the widescreen photography is vibrant and gorgeous, with warm interiors, rich exteriors, and shimmering night scenes.

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