A House on Fire

A House on Fire (Casa en flames) is a 2024 Spanish-Italian comedy-drama film directed by Dani de la Orden and written by Eduard Sola which stars Emma Vilarasau, Enric Auquer, Maria Rodríguez Soto, Alberto San Juan, Clara Segura, José Pérez-Ocaña, and Macarena García.

Plot
Divorced well-off woman Montse summons her family to her Costa Brava house in Cadaqués, but despite the now limited connection to her two children, the potential sale of the building, her ex-husband's entry on the scene, and yet-to-be-settled scores, she is determined not to let anything or anybody spoil her weekend.

Production
The film was produced by Sábado Películas and Playtime Movies in co-production with 3Cat, Atresmedia Cine, and ElioFilm, with the participation of Netflix and Atresmedia and backing from ICAA and ICEC. Shooting locations included a building designed by Josep Antoni Coderch in Canet de Mar. It features Catalan- and Spanish-language dialogue.

Release
The film had its world premiere as the opening film of the 8th BCN Film Fest on 18 April 2024. Distributed by VerCine, it is scheduled to be released theatrically in Spain on 28 June 2024.

Reception
Jonathan Holland of ScreenDaily described the film as "a sugar-coated skewering of the hypocrisies of the Catalan bourgeoisie".

Beatriz Martínez of Fotogramas rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, deeming it to be Dani de la Orden's best, while highlighting "a perfectly staged cast" as the best thing about it.

Javier Ocaña of El País rated the film 3 out of 5 stars, describing it as an "elegant family shock therapy" which goes from better to worse in the verdict, otherwise comparing it unfavourably to the similar La casa.

Ekaitz Ortega of HobbyConsolas gave the film 81 points ('very good') writing that A House on Fire "is a good film with a very theatrical script, full of actors and actresses who know how to take the roles to their own territory".

Elsa Fernández-Santos of El País described the film as "a fierce parody, as dark as it is funny" about a Catalan bourgeois mother.