'Violation' Review
NR
Runtime: 1 Hr and 47 Minutes
Production Companies: One Plus One, MPI Media Group
Distributor: Shudder
Director: Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli
Writer: Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli
Cast: Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Anna Maguire, Jesse LaVercombe, Obi Abili, Jasmin Geljo, Cynthia Ashperger
Release Date: March 25, 2021
SHUDDER
A troubled woman on the edge of divorce returns home to her younger sister after years apart. But when her sister and brother-in-law betray her trust, she embarks on a vicious crusade of revenge.
It’s nice to see that AMC’s horror-oriented streaming service, SHUDDER, is getting more female-oriented. It’s National Women’s Month and in these four weeks, you had Lucky (a decent slasher mystery about believing women when they are gaslit by just about everyone, including cops), Slaxx (a horror movie about killer jeans), and this week you have Violation, a rape-revenge movie that should be the standard for movies of its type, though there are several frustrating things about it. It’s definitely the heaviest of the aforementioned titles with very triggering content given the subject matter, but it marks a chilling debut for writers/directors Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli.
Though she’s pulling many duties both on- and off-screen, serving as co-director, co-writer, and lead actress, Madeleine Sims-Fewer’s chilling performance is something to behold. This is her debut and Sims-Fewer takes the limelight as an enraged woman betrayed and assaulted by her family, looking for good old-fashioned revenge. The film starts with her character Miriam, a woman on the brink of divorce from her husband Caleb, as they go on a routine trip with her sister Greta and her brother-in-law Dylan. Her relationship with her husband is withering away while the bond her sister and her brother-in-law have is the complete antithesis. There’s a clear disconnect between Miriam and Caleb, and she has obvious romantic vibes/tension with her brother-in-law. Thankfully, Miriam has morals despite the flaws that are presented with her character, but Dylan, like every shitty man, uses the mutual attraction to his advantage and ultimately betrays her.
The story is set solely through Miriam’s perspective as the film shifts between the past and the present, showcasing the events prior to her assault and a year after when she exacts her revenge, and it’s thoroughly captivating. The film benefits from being presented in a non-chronological structure so it feels like the viewer is witnessing a jigsaw puzzle being pieced together in real-time. It’s edited so damn well, making it feel like a mystery and letting you question what's gonna occur/what led her to this moment. Granted, you can easily guess due to the film’s not-so-subtle title, but it’s not a detriment to the story.
I really liked the writing in terms of dialogue more than anything else. All the dynamics between the characters are fully fleshed out to the best of their abilities and the film lets you genuinely engage with their relationships. The dialogue also nails the characteristics of the roles these characters play; as expected, Dylan is written like a generic white fuckboi who you just despise. The way he knows her ticks and flaws in order to gaslight her adds to the trauma and betrayal on top of the terrifying rape. It's really authentic to the kind of evil psychological games men play with women no matter what kind of relationship they have with them. The film’s emotional core is the bond between Miriam and Greta. They share a close sisterhood that you can fall back on that becomes heartbreaking once Dylan’s actions affect their relationship.
Violation is an extremely heavy watch, and not just because of the subject matter and depiction of rape itself, which is terrifying but not explicit enough to alienate viewers. It’s also incredibly heavy because of the violence. This has to be the most graphic, stomach-churning, extreme violence I’ve seen in a long time, and while it does make for a great cathartic release while rooting for Miriam, I have to admit it made me a bit nauseous. I don’t know if that’s good or bad criticism because it’s a horror film about a rape-revenge fantasy that delivered on its premise, but damn, don’t go into this with a full stomach. Violation is told through the female gaze and you’ll understand what I mean when you see it for yourself.
As much as I was riveted by the narrative itself, Violation undercuts its most powerful moments to deliver numerous surface-level metaphors. The film will completely halt and show a small animal in nature getting devoured by its predator with the intent of relating to Miriam’s situation. The movie is already doing so much narratively that it’s so damn annoying when it abruptly cuts away to be metaphorical. It’s the film’s biggest flaw, for it’s constant and forced, disrupting the integrity of the story while feeling so condescending. I enjoyed this film more than the other female rape-revenge movies being touted this awards season but unfortunately, I have to give it the same rating because it was frustratingly amateaurish with its visual metaphors, which were more of a detriment to the film than any other issue.
