Silver Haze is a 2023 drama film, written and directed by Sacha Polak and starring Vicky Knight, Esmé Creed-Miles, Charlotte Knight, Archie Brigden and Angela Bruce. The film follows 23-year-old Franky, a nurse who, obsessed with a thirst for revenge and a need to assign guilt for a traumatic event that happened 15 years before, is unable to build any meaningful relationship until she falls in love with one of her patients – Florence.
It was nominated to compete for the Panorama Audience Award at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 19 February 2023. The film was also nominated for Best Feature Film Teddy Award, but it won Teddy Award Jury prize.
Contents
Cast
Vicky Knight as Franky
Esmé Creed-Miles as Florence
Mason Cook as Mason
Charlotte Knight as Leah
Archie Brigden as Jack
Angela Bruce as Alice
Alfie Deegan as Flynn
Sandra Kwiek as Kayley
Brandon Bendell as Jason
Carrie Bunyan as Donna
Sarah-Jane Dent as Jane
Cain Aiden as Passerby
Production
Sacha Polak participated in the Les Arcs work-in-progress selection in 2021, it was among 15 projects selected for work in progress section out of 164 participants. There the film won a special jury mention in the work-in-progress section.
Vicky Knight was selected as the main lead, the film is partly inspired by Knight's own experiences of having one third of her body burnt in a fire at the age of eight. The film is produced by the Viking Film from Netherlands and EMU Films from United Kingdom. It was shot in 2021 in Dagenham and Southend in the United Kingdom. It completed post-production in 2022.
Release
Silver Haze had its premiere on 19 February 2023, as part of the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival, in Panorama.
It was reported on 9 December 2022, that Poland-based sales agent New Europe Film Sales has acquired the worldwide rights. They have already sold the film to The Jokers for distribution in France and Cineart in Benelux. In June 2023, BFI Distribution acquired distribution rights to the film for the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The film was screened at 2023 BFI London Film Festival in 'Strand' section under 'Love' theme on 6 October 2023.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 78% of 32 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Silver Haze offers an authentic look at overcoming trauma that lingers like the memory of a first love despite occasionally being overcast by its multi-thematic fog." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 67 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Wendy Ide for ScreenDaily wrote in the review that "the snapshots of various elements of Franky’s [protagonist] life are intensely felt and authentic, but they are not always cohesive, and a rather diffident and wafty score fails to tie the disparate elements together." In concluding, Ide praised Vicky Knight stating, "Knight is a compelling and fiercely persuasive performer."