For a person who has matured, working is a part of responsibility and dignity. The willingness to work hard to make ends meet is something that is inherent to them. However, behind their sweat are many stories and voices that often go untold. In the film In the Heat of the Fire (Yadanar Oo, 2023), that voice is captured among the footage of workers in a foundry.
The documentary opens with sparks clashing against each other on a blazing embers. A young man is working to shape the smoldering metal bars. His body is wet with water that has been splashed on him to reduce the heat that is ready to scorch his skin. He then recounts the beginning of his love story, when he first met his girlfriend through an online dating app some four or five years earlier.
Dating apps have become popular in the last decade as a medium to find a partner. Both youths and seniors often use these apps as a medium to defy the odds. They believe that every human being is destined to have a partner. As a result, the liminal tension between the virtual and real worlds can be reached through the device in the palm of one’s hand. Events of temporality can be summarized and sculpted into (almost) standardized profiles.
It was this medium that finally brought Kyaw Gyi, the first narrator in In the Heat of the Fire (2024), and his partner together. Starting from an encounter in cyberspace, they try to establish a more serious relationship. However, the thick wall of power relations built by Gyi’s lover’s brother makes their relationship seem lost. They were never able to meet face-to-face, not even to share a picture of their faces. This situation is exacerbated by Gyi’s doubts about the status of their relationship. The suppressed love and deeply held bitterness go hand in hand in their timelessness.
Under the roof that covers the iron foundry in South Dagon, Gyi’s story is not the only unheard voice from a tightly closed personal life. Behind the sweat and blood that crosses each other on the body of U Naing Win, the second narrator in this documentary, a heroic story wrapped in anguish overflows.
The hot weather and long hours of blazing fire did not deter his determination to work. He forced himself to endure the risky work with almost no proper protection. His harsh life experiences forced him to persevere. He married a woman he loved dearly and had two children, a girl and a boy. During this time, his wife suffered from chronic pain and never shared her pain with Win. Until one day the pain could no longer be contained and left Win shocked and confused. Attempts to help his beloved wife led to grief. Win was unable to save his beloved. However, his biggest regret was when he couldn’t hear directly from his wife that she was enduring the pain. Moreover, the reason why Win’s wife didn’t tell him was because she didn’t want to burden his thoughts and feelings. Now, to make up for his disappointment and regret, he is willing to work hard for his small family.
The emotional tension that runs throughout In the Heat of the Fire (2023) creates an immersive experience that tore the audience apart as they were involved in Gyi and Win’s love and sorrow. A series of footage montages captured by Eno Jude throughout the documentary complement each other’s emotions in each scene. Director Yadanar Oo’s attempt to give space to voices that have long been hermetically sealed to be voiced in the public space through the cold hands of Zin Mar Oo.
The intimate moments of happiness of the factory workers, which are rarely highlighted, are captured in this documentary. Gyi and Win’s facial expressions get more attention to capture every emotion on their faces-happy smiles, emotion, sadness, and tears. As a result, the effort to reveal the other side of the iron foundry workers can be channeled to the audience more intensely. The feelings that overflowed from the bottom of the workers’ hearts spilled out on the sidelines of the coals that continued to burn the iron. Find out more about their story in In the Heat of the Fire (2023), which will be screened on Docs Docs: Short! FFD 2024. (Ahmad Radhitya Alam) (Ed. Vanis/Trans. Naufal Shabri)
Film Details
In the Heat of the Fire (Mee Hnint Atu Shin Than Chin)
Yadanar Oo | 18 Min | 2023 | Myanmar
Official Selection for Docs Docs: Short!
Festival Film Dokumenter 2024
Screening Schedule
Nov. 3 | 19:00 WIB | Militaire Societeit, TBY
Nov. 5 | 19:00 WIB | Amphitheater, TBY
