Writer/director Sacha Polak explores family, love, and the effects of trauma in her latest feature, the relationship drama Silver Haze.
Fifteen years ago, Franky (Vicky Knight) was severely injured in a fire, leaving scars both external and internal. Since then, Franky has been trying to bring the people responsible to justice — namely, the woman with whom her father ran off, abandoning Franky and her sister Leah (Charlotte Knight).
Franky’s anger, hurt, and desire for justice have consumed her all these years. She manages it by working as a nurse at a hospital, where she is empathetic and beloved by her patients. In her personal life, however, Franky holds back. Her relationship with her boyfriend seems to be one of convenience (for her), and when he tells her he loves her, she shrugs it off and seems almost annoyed that he has developed real feelings.
Her reluctance to open up and live life more fully changes when Franky meets Florence (Esmé Creed-Miles), a patient in the hospital. Their encounters are initially brief, but they spark a connection and when Florence is discharged, the two strike up a relationship and fall in love. Flo helps Franky to be less restrained and welcomes her into her family when Franky’s own reveal their homophobia and force her out of the house.
In Flo’s family, Franky finds solace and relief. Her own house is one where the past lingers heavily and Franky has to play the parent, looking after her mother who often drowns her sorrow and anger in alcohol. At Flo’s house, Franky can finally relax and relish in having a parent figure, Alice (Angela Bruce), who offers comfort and guidance. Franky also maintains a close relationship with her sister Leah, bringing her into the fold of this new found family as well.
The film takes a turn when Franky and Flo’s relationship deteriorates. Franky realizes that Flo takes things too far in pushing her to live life more on the edge, and Flo becomes frustrated with Franky and their relationship dynamic (and, it seems, wasn’t actually ready to live full-time with her girlfriend). Flo is also dealing with mental health issues, but Franky surprisingly doesn’t seem to understand. When they’re assaulted on the bus, Florence takes it particularly hard and lashes out, behaving somewhat erratically. Franky responds harshly, unable to connect Flo’s behaviour as a response to the trauma of the incident. The two fall out and Flo moves out, needing space, leaving Franky to remain behind with Flo’s family.
We don’t see much of Florence after this point, and it feels a bit weird that Franky continues to live with and form an even deeper connection with Flo’s family after Flo has left the picture. And yet, we understand Franky’s desire to remain with Alice in particular. Franky has been holding on to a deep-rooted anger that prevents her from healing from the trauma of her past, but Alice offers her a different perspective and shows her that she needs to let go of the anger in order to live a fuller life.
Silver Haze reunites director Sacha Polak with non-professional actor Vicky Knight after their first collaboration on Polak’s Dirty God (2019). The story in Silver Haze is based on improvisations and recollections from events in Vicky Knight’s life. This is perhaps why sometimes the film and the narrative feel a bit disjointed. Although it’s a meaningful story that explores relationships (familial and romantic) in engaging ways, at times it feels like certain scenes and pieces of the story are simply spliced together without flow or reason.
For example, the story of the fire is quite confusing. At first we’re intentionally left in the dark about what happened, but even when it’s eventually revealed, it’s implied that we’ve been given all the pieces—and yet we’re clearly still missing some. We take it upon ourselves to form a general picture, but it’s filled with holes. Other perspectives of the incident are vaguely offered, but we still have no sense of motivation for anyone, nor any understanding of the people involved that night. And although in some ways it doesn’t matter who as much as that it happened, it’s nevertheless frustrating, particularly considering the film makes the fire (and its aftermath) an essential aspect of the narrative and Franky’s character.
Silver Haze had its world premiere at this year’s Berlinale festival, where it was selected as part of the Panorama section. The category screens extraordinary cinema and is a traditional audience favourite.
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