Actress Vicky Knight and Sacha Polak have previously worked together on the film Dirty God (2019), however this power duo team up for another collaboration. Polack’s vision for the film was to tell Knight’s story. The film Silver Haze is loosely based on Knight’s own life. When Knight was eight-years-old, she suffered severe burns after surviving a serious fire. Silver Haze follows a young 23-year-old woman Franky (Knight) who is a nurse living in an East London borough with her family. Fifteen years ago Franky and her family experienced a traumatic fire and she was eager for revenge and seeking answers. While working she meets and falls deeply in love with one of her patients, Florence (Esmé Creed-Mile). Together they travel to the coast where Florence lives to be with her and she is able to build a more meaningful relationship with Florence’s family. From there she is able to confront her emotional hurt and past. The film also stars Charlotte Knight (Vicky’s actual sister), Archie Brigden, TerriAnn Cousins, Brandon Bendell, Youseef Ariyah, Nicola Bland,and Angela Bruce. I was given the exclusive chance to speak with Knight who gave a fierce performance in the film alongside Polak who also wrote the screenplay for the film.
Kristin: I know you two have previously worked together. So what makes your connection so special for bringing this film together?
Sacha: Well, it all started when we did the previous film called Dirty God. We traveled a lot together for the film, went to Sundance, and then afterwards we went everywhere. In the meantime, I got to know Vicky really well and I got to know her family. She had so many special stories to tell. Yeah and we really wanted to work together again, so based upon her stories we thought okay, if we do another film it’s going to be more of your own story than the complete fictional story. So it’s basically dramatized on her story.
Kristin: Vicky, what makes it great working with Sacha for this project? It seems like she’s a very trusting director and it feels like you’re in safe hands. Can you discuss what it’s like working with your friend?
Vicky: She’s more than a friend, she’s part of the family. We have such a great bonding relationship and grew closer together from Dirty God. Sacha was still pregnant with her last girl that she had, and you know, I’ve known the girls and it’s just, it’s just nice. It was more like working with your best friend again. Having to have someone that you know being in the film industry can be a bit difficult especially when there’s intimate scenes, like, for example, sex scenes and I’ve never felt so comfortable around someone so much just to even get my clothes off. Like she’s so supportive. You know, I’ve worked with actors before and they’ve actually cried and called their agent because they don’t want to show a bit of the bum or whatever. And you know, I don’t feel that way with Sasha, she just makes me feel like I can trust her with my whole life.
Kristin: Why is it important to tell the story right now in this day and time?
Sacha: I wanted to do this because of Vicky and I thought it would be a beautiful story to tell. I wasn’t just fascinated by her life, but by the way she is with her sister as it’s a heartwarming story. I think it’s a story that is hopeful and a story about resilience.
Kristin: Is there any inspiration that you look to for other films while working on this?
Sacha: There’s always films that inspire right now. I don’t remember actually what was particularly inspiring. It was like we had very old fragments that we used for a warmish night that were interesting like lighting for instance. It was more Vicky and her family that were the inspiration and working in Dagenham where Vicky grew up and being and living there for a while was more of an inspiration.
Kristin: Vicky, what did you learn about yourself while working on this film?
Vicky: I’m a lot stronger than I actually think I am. I’ve been pushed to the limits in real life. That kind of shows in bits and pieces in the film and just to be able to inject that onto an audience and make people realize that I’ve never given up. In the last interview I did, I said you can either be a Florence or you can be a Franky in life. You can either give up or you can carry on. You know, being strong is the only choice I’ve got so I use that to my advantage. If I can let someone else feel that bit of strength inside them, then I’ve achieved my goal.
Kristin: So, I thought what was beautiful at the end film, Sacha, you dedicated the film to your daughter’s why is that?
Sacha:I got divorced during the film and that was very tough. Also, it was partly because I’m a filmmaker and I’m but I’m also a mother. I work abroad a lot, so the plan was to bring my daughters and they would be there when I was shooting. I didn’t want to be apart from them for that long and they would come with a nanny. A lot of things went wrong, and they couldn’t come any. That was devastating for me. On top of that, I got divorced. So then, for me, it was something that I thought, okay, this film is also for them. I think it’s a film with a very powerful sister relationship and a loving message in a way that I want to give to them.
Kristin: Vicky, you have a strong relationship with your sister. Has your sister seen the film and having her be a part of this experience?
Vicky: Yes, she came to the Berlin Film Festival when we we had our premiere there. She came to Amsterdam when we did the Q&A’s, and then to the London Film Festival as well. I’m just so amazed by her and how she carried herself on screen. Don’t get me wrong, our relationship off screen is a love/hate relationship. I absolutely love her to bits, but I also hate her sometimes. Just to be able to have my family, my brother in the film, and my nephew. It’s just to me like when we were in Berlin I took a step back off the red carpet, and I let them walk first. Just a moment so they can just feel you know, that achievement in life. It’s not just my story. My story has affected my whole family. They’ve been through it as much as I’ve been through it, just without the scars.
Kristin: Your family deserves just as much praise and recognition like you have.
Vicky: Exactly! I want to say thank you again to Sacha for allowing that to become what it is.
Be sure to check out Silver Haze in select theaters now and on video-on-demand starting March 12th.
