‘Blaze’ Is Fantastic But Traumatic [Tribeca 2022 Review]
Sharai Bohannon
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Blaze is a heartbreaking coming-of-age tale that has a lot to say about handling trauma. Blaze (Julia Savage) is the sole witness to a rape that ends in murder. She’s unable to process all of this trauma so retreats into her own imagination. Writers Huna Amweero and Del Kathryn Barton approach rape culture and trauma with care. They give us something big, heavy, important, and beautiful like a glossal kaleidoscope of tragic images. However, the approach yielded a finished product that is hard to watch but hard to look away from. This sadly feels like a version of The NeverEnding Story for young girls. We have to grow up fast because the world makes sure of that. We’re never allowed to truly escape into the fantastical which makes Blaze’s world feel like a protest.
Savage is in every scene of the film and exhibits skill well beyond her years. Watching Blaze witness something so awful and then have to immediately fight the legal system is beyond words; a system geared toward making sure perpetrators of violent crimes against women never pay for their crimes is heartbreaking. Savage’s ability to give us so much with a look or gesture makes me feel like she’s been studying psychology for years. I even found myself reminded to read The Body Remembers: The Psychophysiology of Trauma and Trauma Treatment after the credits.
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I also found myself taking comfort in the world Blaze retreated into. After all, how many of us turn to the genre to escape harsh realities? However, the world she created felt like a Lisa Frank-infused mythical rave. It was evident this design team had fun building a world that was safe for our protagonist. This, in turn, makes the audience feel safe in these moments where we can also escape from the harsh world.
As the director, Barton manages to capture key moments in a way that acknowledges how delicate they are. She also conveys more than should be allowed over the course of a few seconds. There’s a moment when Hannah (Yael Stone) almost gets away from her assailant and locks eyes with Blaze. They share these seconds where Hannah is almost protective of this young girl who’s already seen too much. This moment reminds me of so many of us who have to sit here looking at the younger generations knowing they’re inheriting a shitty world where this keeps happening. A world where women are made to feel hunted and then condemned if they speak up. The quiet fleeting seconds transmitted between Hannah and Blaze are possibly some of the loudest of the film.
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The unjust guilt Blaze carries for the rest of the film is palpable and hard to watch. She continues to unravel as she learns more about Hannah. She even finds herself checking in on Hannah’s son who’s close to her in age. Watching the prosecutor twist her words around on the stand is rage-inducing. Watching this woman gaslight a young girl pulls at something in the brain of the audience. It’s no wonder Blaze retreats back into her world of dragons to protect her from feelings she can’t quite explain. This doesn’t erase her need to do something about this situation, though. Her drive to keep trying makes this feel like an origin story for a future badass.
Aside from a friend and her dad, Blaze seemingly has no one else in her support group. So she’s basically alone for most of the film while going through puberty, and figuring out her sexuality. Watching Blaze get sideswiped by the pervasive rape culture and how the judicial system is on the side of the offenders is heavy, as these conversations should be. After an episode lands her in therapy, a therapist tells her, “You are not broken. Healing isn’t linear”. That line, and their exchange, is possibly the most wholesome and healing moment of the film. It’s what sets Blaze free to slay her dragons in a very sad moment. It encourages her to find her voice so that she can go another round in court where she again faces the scariest monster of them all.
This movie is a beautiful tale of a young girl having to grow up too fast. Blaze is forced to shed the remnants of her childhood and allow herself to feel all of her feelings. Her feelings are where her strength resides and she can’t deny any of them. I think that’s a pretty powerful message for all of us at any age.
Let me know if you’ve seen this film at misssharai.
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Blaze
Summary
Blaze is a heartbreaking and visually stunning exploration of trauma that stays with you long after the credits are over.
