Charli XCX’s acting career is erupting.
A new trailer for Erupcja — which means “eruption” in Polish — shows the Brat singer starring in a complicated relationship drama from director Pete Ohs.
The film, which hits theaters April 17, follows a couple (Charli XCX and Will Madden) whose romantic getaway to Poland is prolonged by a volcanic eruption. While waiting for flights to resume, Charli’s character Bethany flirts with the idea of blowing up her life by rekindling a romance with an old friend who owns a flower shop in Warsaw.
“A romantic vacation goes awry when a volcanic eruption strands Bethany (Charli XCX) and her soon-to-be fiancé, Rob (Will Madden) in Warsaw, Poland. Bethany takes the explosive event as a sign to ditch her baggage, reunite with childhood friend Nel (Lena Góra) and traipse across lofts, clubs and back alleys, all the while becoming entangled in an emotional web that challenges her sense of self,” a synopsis reads.
Playwright Jeremy O. Harris and actress Lena Góra, from HBO Max’s The Eastern Gate, also star in the 71-minute feature film. Alongside Ohs, all the movie’s actors had a hand in writing the script.
Originally premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, critics praised Charli’s performance. IndieWire film critic David Ehrlich wrote that Charli’s casting “adds a metatextual richness to the movie.” And Hollywood Reporter’s Jourdain Searles noted Charli gives a “standout performance” and possesses a “magnetic screen presence.”
Back in October 2024, Charli said she was drawn to the project because of the way Ohs “talked about making his films,” which “felt akin to making an album.”
“The chance meeting also felt equivalent to the conversational and spontaneous nature of his filmmaking,” she added. “Our processes felt linked in some kind of way and it felt right and exciting to pursue some kind of collaboration.”
Erupcja marks the latest film Charli has helmed. She premiered The Moment, a tongue-in-cheek mockumentary about her Brat summer, at last month’s Sundance Film Festival. She also stars in The Gallerist alongside Natalie Portman, Jenna Ortega, and Sterling K. Brown, and Olivia Wilde’s anticipated I Want Your Sex.
