Blaze

Blaze

Year: 2023

Runtime: 101 min

Language: English

Director: Del Kathryn Barton

Echo Score: 70
DramaFantasyCrimeAnimation

After witnessing a disturbing crime, a young girl struggles with trauma and emotional detachment. Seeking refuge, she retreats into her imagination, where the lines between fantasy and reality become indistinct. This journey allows her to confront the horrifying events and search for healing and a path toward redemption, blurring the boundaries of her perception.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Blaze (2023)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Blaze (2023). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Present day

Set in contemporary Australia, Blaze's story unfolds in real-world surroundings that include schools, clinics, and police procedures. The events track her from age 12 to 13, highlighting how trauma intersects with adolescence. The film depicts modern processes—media coverage, court testimony, and psychiatric care—rather than a historical setting. The timeframe is present-day and ongoing, reflecting current social conversations about sexual violence and child witnesses.

Location

Paddington

Paddington is a quiet inner-suburban terrace-house enclave that frames Blaze's fragile home life. The setting emphasizes a close-knit community where adults and neighbors shape the girl's safety and perception of the world. The house and surrounding spaces like the service lane and dojo form a microcosm of ordinary life that is disrupted by a traumatic event.

🏠 Suburban setting 🗺️ Australia 🕰️ Contemporary

Last Updated: October 07, 2025 at 13:38

Main Characters – Blaze (2023)

Meet the key characters of Blaze (2023), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Blaze (Julia Savage)

A 12-year-old girl living in a Paddington terrace house with an imaginary dragon, Zephy, who symbolizes her attempt to hold onto control after a traumatic event. Blaze is perceptive, vulnerable, and determined to find a way to speak up as she navigates trauma, family dynamics, and the threat of violence around her. Her emotional world fractures and then slowly rebuilds as she moves toward testifying and reclaiming agency.

🧠 Trauma response 🥇 Resilience 🔥 Determination

Luke (Simon Baker)

Blaze's father, a solitary architect who wants to protect his daughter but struggles to connect and communicate openly. He is diligent and protective, yet often awkward in discussions about sex and trauma. His relationship with Blaze evolves as he learns to support her decision to testify while confronting his own vulnerabilities.

👨‍👧 Father-daughter 🛡️ Protection 🧠 Mental health

Jake (Josh Lawson)

The antagonist who assaults Hannah; his behavior is controlling and deceptive, manipulating others and denying responsibility. His actions trigger Blaze's wake-up call and fuel the narrative about speaking up against violence, even when confronted with intimidations and defense strategies in court.

⚔️ Antagonist 💥 Violence 🗣️ Manipulation

Hannah (Yael Stone)

Jake's victim who is assaulted, her experience echoing through Blaze's investigation. She becomes part of the social and online landscape around female attack victims, which Blaze investigates to understand the broader context of violence and survivor stories.

🎗️ Survivor 🕊️ Recovery 🌐 Victim narrative

Anna

Blaze's school friend who discusses topics like sex and virginity with Blaze, providing a window into Blaze's social world and the debate about adolescence.

👭 Friendship 🗣️ Conversation

Last Updated: October 07, 2025 at 13:38

Major Themes – Blaze (2023)

Explore the central themes of Blaze (2023), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🩹 Trauma

Blaze's experiences reveal how trauma from violence shapes a child's sense of safety and agency. The dragon Zephy embodies her need to externalize pain and control it. The film shows how trauma lingers, influencing behavior, memory, and relationships, including with her father. Healing arrives in small, difficult steps as she asserts her voice and choices.

⚖️ Justice

The courtroom scenes foreground the complexities of testimony given by a young witness. Blaze's memory is challenged by defense tactics, highlighting how systems can doubt and discredit victims. The symbol of Blaze's dragon flame becomes a stand-in for truth and resistance against silencing. The film ultimately centers on the power of telling the truth, even under pressure.

🏠 Family

Luke's relationship with Blaze is fraught—duty and affection clash as he struggles to protect his daughter while letting her navigate her trauma. The mother's absence is felt as a throughline in Blaze's early life, shaping her reliance on icons like Zephy. The home becomes both a sanctuary and a pressure chamber where emotions erupt. The bond grows as Blaze gains courage to testify.

🌱 Coming of age

As Blaze moves from 12 to 13, she asserts autonomy, negotiates boundaries, and begins to question authority. Her journey is not only about processing trauma but also about discovering courage to stand up for herself and others. The dragon Zephy transitions from a coping mechanism to a symbol of agency and voice. The film maps a painful but hopeful path toward self-definition.

Last Updated: October 07, 2025 at 13:38

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Unlock the Full Story of Blaze

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Blaze Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Blaze, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Blaze Summary

Blaze Timeline

Track the full timeline of Blaze with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Blaze Timeline

Blaze Spoiler-Free Summary

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Blaze Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Blaze

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More About Blaze

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