On the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, writer-director Peeter Rebane gives audiences a passionate story of two soldiers in a forbidden love during the Cold War era of the 1970s. The story, however, could not be more relevant today given the recurring themes of oppression and war.
The film follows Sergey (Tom Prior), a soulful young private who is ready to be relieved of his duty. But when Sergey meets Roman (Oleg Zagorodnii), a charismatic fighter pilot, the two form a clandestine relationship on a Soviet Air Force Base that is both deep and beautiful at the height of 1970s Communist rule.
Prior, who also co-wrote and produced the film with Rebane, offers a revolutionary performance as a gay man struggling with the fine lines between friendship, secret love, and being in the armed forces. In fact, when Rebane first approached Prior for the role, the actor insisted that Sergey become less “introverted,” which then opened the door for Prior to not only act in but also co-write this epic love story.
Beautifully shot in Estonia on a very slim indie budget, the two did a spectacular job of recreating this epic love story in the setting of a gruesome war. From the airplanes to the graphic war scenes, it’s truly remarkable what they were able to pull off.
After speaking with Prior, we learned that his counterpart in the film, Zagorodnii, grew up in Ukraine and is currently in Kyiv taking care of his family and helping raise funds “to provide body armor” for the soldiers who are currently fighting against the Russian invasion.
There’s also the element of LGBT+ persecution in Russia, and in many countries that still occurs today. Prior then cited the recent passing of the “propaganda” law in Hungary and the “Don’t Say Gay” bill in Florida. Reminding people that if it “continues to go unchecked, things will continue to go backwards.”
However, both Prior and Rebane stressed that the film was not made with political intentions, but rather to focus on the love story between the two soldiers. “It’s about two people wanting to be together no matter what,” Prior insisted.
There are also some pretty intense and erotic sex scenes in the film that are executed with such grandeur that it’s almost hard to believe that this is Rebane’s feature debut. Firebird is filled with romantic energy. When asked about the intensity of the sex scenes, Rebane said he actually “toned things down” from Sergey Fetisov’s story to make the sex scenes a little less explicit in an effort to not allow those moments to distract from the love story between the two men. But rest assured, they are still extremely steamy yet tasteful.
When asked about how Prior felt about shooting those nude scenes, he said that Oleg made it “effortless,” and that he believes those types of scenes should always be more “character-driven than physical.”
As far as what’s next for Prior, he says he prefers acting as opposed to producing, writing, and running a production. “It’s just a lot of work to run a production,” Prior commented. But he says if he doesn’t get cast in another Kingsman-type role soon, he will just have to write one. As far as Rebane’s future planes, he’s just looking forward to completing the press tour for Firebird and spending a relaxing summer in Estonia.
Firebird is set to be released on April 29th and the film, while set in over fifty years ago, could not be more relevant today.