112. Silver Haze; movie review

SILVER HAZE

Cert 15

103 mins

BBFC advice: Contains very strong language, drug misuse, sexual assault, sex, discrimination

Vicky Knight is a true inspiration. She is a young woman who has taken a tough hand and, against the odds, turned it into a winner.

I was gobsmacked by her performance in the outstanding Dirty God when she played the victim of an acid attack.

Now, she has entrusted director and writer Sacha Polak to adapt her life story into a riveting drama, Silver Haze.

Knight suffered horrific burns in an arson attack on a pub when she was eight years old and this film has a similar incident as its foundation.

In Silver Haze, her character, Franky, is having a tough time at home with a mum who has addiction issues and a sister (Knight's real-life sibling, Charlotte) who chooses poor partners.

Meanwhile, Franky is wrestling with her own sexuality and is put to the test by the advances of Florence (Esmé Creed-Miles).

And she believes the arsonist behind the life-changing fire to be the girlfriend of her father, who walked out 15 years ago after the blaze.

Polak has recreated an environment where money and love are scarce and moving on from the past is almost impossible.

Meanwhile, Knight shows extraordinary bravery by showing her entire scarred body during the film.

Intriguingly, I noted that, after the initial shock, I didn't see her injuries, only warming to the young woman fighting against adversity at every corner.

I hope she is now offered roles that reward her for the quality of her acting and are blind to her past.

And Silver Haze should be the springboard for bigger budgets for Polak - she certainly deserves it.

Reasons to watch: Another outstanding perforamnce by Vicky Knight

Reasons to avoid: Wanders a bit

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: Yes

Nudity: Yes

Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? As well as being an actress, Vicky Knight also works as a healthcare assistant at Broomfield Hospital in Essex where she was  treate following the pub fire. 

The final word. Vicky Knight: "It’s always been my dream to have something made around what happened. I lost my cousins in the fire and the man that saved my life, he died as well. And there was no justice. So, the idea came about when me and Sacha were travelling the world with Dirty God." BFI

 

Share this post