I will admit to never having heard of Katia and Maurice Kraft before I watched this, and although I did find it interesting, I cannot really say I am too much the wiser about them now either. What makes this documentary work is the amazing footage of nature at it's most beautiful and hostile. It is very clear that these two were unafraid of taking considerable risks to gather images to not only illustrate the sheer explosive power of these natural phenomena, but also to use what they could accumulate and observe to try the almost impossible task of predicting what might happen when and where. The ultimate design for that information being the mitigation of some of the human risk for the populations adjacent, both near and far, as millions of tons of ash, rock, gas, smoke - you name it - emanate from the innards of the Earth. I found the narrative a bit dry. The couple come across as extremely dedicated, almost eccentric at times, but sadly we don't really get to know enough about them, what made them tick - what compelled them to this riskiest of careers. The commentary also lacks for gravitas, I thought. It needed someone just a little weightier than a competent, but rather mono-tonic Miranda July. All of that said, though - the footage is astonishing. The perilous undertakings of those filming it (and some of their makeshift heat resistant technology that looked like it was built from the stuff we wrap a Christmas turkey in) is well illustrated and thoroughly engaging to watch. Fascinating.

Mixed feelings on this one, as the protagonists seem to be a curious mix of scientists and obsessive-compulsive thrill seekers. What I mean is, if someone spent all their time chasing and documenting structure fires, declaring that they could care less if they died, but only wanted to get as close to the flames as they could so they could feel the heat searing their skin, one might opine that the couple quite possibly needed to seek out some sort of counseling or therapy. Granted, when one finds a job doing something they love, then it's really not work, but a passion, however, IMO once fortune and more importantly FAME start to enter the picture, then, important safety line can start to be crossed, as the "go BIG or go home" mentality begins to creep into the mix, with "scientific advancement" being the excuse for taking bigger and bigger risks, when the adrenaline dump may actually be what is being chased.

The narrator touches upon this several times, without going too deep into it, as she notes how the couple, but more notably Maurice, started perfecting the mythos of his skill and expertise, (note how on the one video shown, only HIS name was on the credits) when, to be honest, a lot of their survival seemed more like "dumb luck" for want of a better phrase, until, sadly that luck ran out.

Katia seemed more grounded, in that she would get ticked off when they survived a close call, but, alas, I do believe she was truly in love with Maurice, and would follow him anywhere, even to her own peril. I think she was sincere, when the horrors of the one volcano's destruction motivated her to want to do SOMETHING to try to figure out some sort of early warning system, however, that desire, shifted their perspective to the more dangerous grey volcanoes, which directly led to their fate.

Beautiful cinematography, and a lasting legacy, with Miranda July providing the perfect tone for the narration.