Silver Haze

It might seem reductive, considering that this is a deeply personal piece of filmmaking but there are shades in here of Clio Bernard, Andrea Arnold, Lynne Ramsay, Alan Clarke (who I think is the most direct companion to this work, from the at-time guttural sensitivity), with other works I'm reminded of including Naked, Mona Lisa, and Nil by Mouth.

This is a film that is difficult viewing for those that find themselves not necessarily refracted in the characters, but in the dynamics, tone, and mood, which can at times feel overwhelming.

The palliative care sequences were particularly gut-wrenching for me, and handled carefully.

The performances are almost feverish, as if dictated by, or caught in, circumstance,-and this does seem like a definitively unique contribution to filmmaking, that will over time, I imagine, be viewed with the same eyes as those that look back on a work like Nil by Mouth.

It seems slightly pointless to try to describe the story as a way into the film, since what this really feels like is delving headfirst into a study of complex dynamics that I don't think someone could have directed had they not gone through them.

There is a deep austerity to filmmaking rarely being done like this anymore.

"Silver Haze" is a beautiful example of how the cinema still didn't run out of new creative ideas for coming-of-age films. Sacha Polak, the director, succeeds with her 4th feature film and her 2nd colaboration with Vicky Knight in creating an unmistakably small-town English aesthetic with depiction of struggling lower-class society. Vicky Knight shines brithly in the leading role with her rusty voice and cockney accent as she works her way through every part of Franky's story. From childhood trauma (both physical and mental), dealing with loss, discovering your true self and your sexuality (LGBTQ+), losing a family while gaining a new one "Silver Haze" presents a clear vision in all its aspects and leads the audience to a perfect closure at the end. I also have to mention simple yet intimate cinematography and a very fitting soundtrack, that pairs perfectly with what is happening in the film.

"Franky" (Vicky Knight) is a nurse who can't shake the effects of a conflagration fifteen years earlier that left her slightly scarred physically but more so emotionally. Partly, that's because she reckons that her mum's pal "Jane" was responsible - but there's no proof. Anyway, unable to hold down any kind of meaningful relationship she cruises through life until she encounters "Florence" (Esme Creed-Miles). This is a bit of a bolt from the blue for her as she falls completely and the two abscond. Their time together is turbulent at times, but it does give them the opportunity to plot revenge. Is that what "Franky" really wants though? Has she just become so hard-wired that she can't learn to move on? Things begin to recalibrate when she discovers that her beloved nan "Alice" (Angela Bruce) has cancer and rather predictably, the histrionics all calm down and the story rather loses it's spark. Aside from a rather odious scene on a bus - which may well be based on true events in London - the rest of this is an unremarkable love story (it's in no way a romance) that follows a bunch of unlikable characters about whom I couldn't care less after about twenty minutes of stereotypical and foul-mouthed characterisations. The acting is fairly visceral, to be fair, but it's presented in pseudo-documentary style some of the time then in a more straightforward form of drama at others with neither really engaging. It's contrived coming of age stuff that's neither original nor vital, sorry.

I am moved to comment on one particular aspect and not the film in general, which was magnificent and has been reviewed well. The night I began watching Silver Haze I paused it about 40 minutes in and left it for about two weeks. It was the Florence character which disturbed me, and when I finally finished the film I felt utterly vindicated for being hesitant at seeing what happens with her. The signs were there early that this is a tragic person--what I would diagnose superficially as having symptoms consistent with borderline personality disorder. She says she's a bad person early in the film, and it brought a tear to my eye. The scene where she flips and tells the woman she's fallen in love with that she doesn't like her anymore made me ball shamefully, because it is so familiar. The splitting, the nature of love/intimacy to a borderline person is fleeting and turns as quickly to disgust as it developed into love. It's unstoppable, and I felt for both of them, especially Florence. It's one thing to be able to walk away from her, it's another to be inside her, feeling that always. Love and disgust are far too fluid for borderlines, this is something inescapable, and it's the reason why we're labeled by others and consider ourselves 'bad people', and why relationships are difficult at best. I am really happy that I watched it and I'm equally happy I left the final 40 for a time when I was better equipped to handle the content. 8/10.

This is Director Sacha Polak and lead actress Vicky Knight second film after 2019's Dirty God, about a young mother who disfigured after an acid attack. Both starring Vicky Knight, herself suffering bad burns when she was a child. Silver Haze seems to be the most based on her life, it also has her own real life family playing her on screen family (her real life young sister, Charlotte is especially good as her younger sister in this).

This is Vicky's film all the way, and she brings it as Franky. Esmé Creed-Miles (Samantha Morton is her mum) is really solid as Franky's troubled girlfriend. She's not always most likeable of characters and this film has quite a few. It's not a easy watch, the really closed in cinematography also adds to tension.

I hope Vicky Knight sticks to acting and maybe goes off and does something out her comfort zone. She's got a nice presence on screen. Creed-Miles although nowhere near the actress her mother was at her age (Morton was one of best acting talents of her generation) just give Florence a likeability.

I sadly doubt the film will get much traction and that be a shame. I do think it's better then it's IMDB rating right now (6.2 of right now).