Cinephiles are pretty familiar with Justine Bateman. Her extensive career has provided folks with various content, including the classic Family Ties and cult favorites, Desperate Housewives and Californication. However, this year’s Toronto International Film Festival proves she’s nowhere close to calling it quits as she expands her resume with her feature-length directorial debut, Violet. A film that gives us Olivia Munn’s career-best performance and explores gender politics and our inner voices, while offering a subjective experience that allows the viewer to decipher the film’s themes and messages.
Violet tells the story of Violet Morton, a successful film executive with a reputation for her consistency in attaining content that is new and exciting that is praised despite being in the business for over ten years. Despite the perception that Violet has everything she wants in life, Violet is tormented by her inner voice, which preys upon her insecurities. Violet has always trusted her inner voice until a conversation with Lila causes her to question her instincts. A rift begins to form between her inner voice and the version of her true self.
In films with a similar premise, choices often bring a level of ambiguity that hurts the film’s overall effectiveness. With Violet, Bateman allows the story to unfold linearly so that the viewer can follow the character from their highest to lowest point without overly overwhelming her viewers. Cinephiles live inside the mind of Violet mostly throughout the 90-minute run-time. Bateman’s brilliant choice to present magnetic visual elements while still allowing the viewer to manifest their meaning to what Violet is ultimately trying to say.
The most compelling aspect in Bateman’s storytelling comes into play when it eventually creates a mindset where we all realize that we all have a “voice inside our head” that acts as a guide into making confident choices. Whether or not it’s the right choice is defined by each of our individual experiences.
Ever since her portrayal in Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom, I’ve been curious to see Olivia Munn step up to the challenge in a leading role. Not only does Munn answer that challenge, but she is magnetic. From her everyday interactions, we are glued to how Violet handles every encounter in everyday life. While simplistic, it’s hard to look away as Munn commands the screen.
While Bateman mostly does a fine job establishing her directorial style, the film does miss the mark on reaching greatness. Bateman’s choice of constant text on-screen becomes quite distracting and brings to light the idea of “quality, not quantity.” The choppy editing splattered throughout adds an unnecessary level of distraction, and while Bateman’s script is filled with exciting ideas, the film never fully fleshes them out or is realized.
Violet will not fall under the cinematic feel of “comfort food”; however, it’s ultimately a film that deserves your attention as it shines brightly on a new directorial voice in Hollywood and the greatness of Olivia Munn’s performance.
