Imagination is liberation in Del Kathryn Barton’s debut feature, filled with the snakey text and glittering graphics of the Australian creative’s paintings and illustrations.
Much like Barton, the titular protagonist of her film Blaze sees the world in macabre and beautiful shades, which become the character’s salvation when she witnesses a traumatising incident of sexual assault. Blaze is burning up Australian cinemas from August 25 after screenings at the Sydney and Melbourne International Film Festivals.
Julia Savage portrays the imaginative kid, with Simon Baker and Yael Stone as her dad and mum. When Blaze is paralysed with grief by seeing her mother raped in an alleyway by a former lover (Josh Lawson), she retreats into a lush, protective fantasy world of her own creation.
In the trailer below, she’s coddled and blamed for her silence after the shocking incident, with Baker worrying about her catatonia. “You know how her mind works,” he reminds Stone, and we lucky viewers get a sneak peek at it: full of sequinned costumes, stop-motion baby dolls, and a fire-breathing dragon who becomes her guardian angel.
It looks impactful and confident for a debut feature, exemplifying the way many survivors must feel when Blaze’s dragon emerges from her mouth to burn down the culprit in a sterile courtroom setting. All we want is for the trailer’s kindly tattooed counsellor to help her through this: she gently but firmly says to the girl that “what you experienced, that will echo through your whole life.”
Stephen A Russell spoke with the director for Flicks after the film’s premiere at SFF, covering the importance of making child lead Savage feel safe and comfortable with such heavy subject matter. “I directed Julia with a little ear plug-in, so it was this incredible, intimate way of working”, Barton explained. “I felt so privileged that we had established a level of trust where she basically asked me to be inside her head with her on that emotional journey.”
With a boldly stylish director, a bunch of dependably great Aussie actors, and a new one on the rise in a searing coming-of-age role, Blaze has all the kindling to become an unforgettable new Australian film. Be aware of those content warnings, for sure, but don’t let it get in the way of experiencing a survival story like no other.
