There is so much to love about Justine Bateman’s directorial debut, Violet, so much so that I don’t believe I’ve fully recovered.
Let’s get the trigger warning out of the way.
This film deals with acute anxiety, impostor syndrome, childhood trauma and a variety of other mental health and workplace issues that could be very difficult for some people to see.
The first hour or so was extremely difficult for me to watch. I know too many people that suffer these issues and to watch Olivia Munn’s titular character get ripped apart by her own inner critic was overwhelming at times.
My day job is leading a division of a software company and I have been privileged to know and lead people in my personal and professional life that suffer through each day being overwhelmed by the inner voice that tells them they are not safe, or wrong, or not enough in some other way.
I have studied these things to be a more effective parent, friend, mentor and leader.
Inherently I know they exist, but seeing Justine Batemen lay them bare on the screen through Olivia Munn’s vessel was like seeing inside the heads of people I know and care deeply about. It was heartbreaking and troubling.
This is without question a movie made with women in mind and it subtly and not so subtly throws some big rocks at mediocre white men.
From Violet’s inner critic being voiced by a white man to her boss, savagely played by Dennis Boutsikaris, the pressure at times builds and builds until Violet disappears. When this happens there is a recurring visual effect that punctuates the moments with a sledgehammer. They are powerful.
This is a story of transformation told in a fundamentally unconventional way. Violet is really 3 characters in one. There is what Olivia Munn says, the inner critic excoriating her and what she really wants, which is superimposed in handwritten script on the screen.
Three voices from one character being effectively delivered to the audience virtually simultaneously without confusion or distraction. This is next level film making. It is genius. Justine Bateman is a master of her craft. Her ability to not only write a story, but tell it on screen is inspiring.
I wonder how much of the film is autobiographical. Former actress Justine Bateman’s writing and directing credits to this point are nominal.
Was her talent stolen from us until now because of the collective critics in her life aggregated into a voice that paralyzed her from realizing her own power and genius?
Even if that were true, it was absolutely worth the wait. This film is going to help a lot of people feel less alone and maybe help pave the road for others to transform.
This is Olivia Munn’s greatest film performance to date. Her ability to characterize three voices in concert is as brilliant as the writing. We see Violet’s discomfort with complements or professional recognition. We feel Violet’s anguish and unfounded guilt about poor decisions. We hear Violet’s inner scream as she tries to break free and become the person she wants to be. This is an acting performance with depth and emotion and incredible range.
The complementary cast is just that, complementary. All of the supporting characters are written well and played ably. Viewers will like Luke Bracey’s Red and hate Dennis Boutsikaris’ Tom and they are supposed to. Laura San Giacomo is the one supporting standout as a film director that I believe was supposed to be an homage to the late Penny Marshall.
The film is technically professional with no particularly shocking or out of place choices. The shooting locations & costume choices were exceptional, framing the scenes and moving the stories forward. Even Violet’s choice of automobile seems to be telling us something about her.
This is a story of becoming. Author Susan Mackenty Brady once said, “It is no one’s responsibility to lift us out of a down moment. We have to do that for ourselves.”
In general I agree with Dr. Brady, but I think what she failed to take into account is the aggregated trauma that some people faced and the accumulation of feeling out of place, wrong, unsafe, or not good enough can snowball into a paralyzing ball of depression and anxiety. Violet paints this picture in a way I don’t believe film goers have ever seen and we are all the better for it.
5 out of 5 stars
* * * * *
Produced by Justine Bateman, Michael D. Jones, Larry Hummel, Matt Paul
Written and Directed by Justine Bateman
Starring Olivia Munn, Luke Bracey, Justin Theroux, Bonnie Bedelia, Zach Gordon,
Erica Ash, Rob Benedict, Dennis Boutsikaris, Todd Stashwick, Laura San Giacomo
