Violett

I labeled my review misunderstood because I misunderstood. I deleted my original review. What my original review got correct was the film is disturbing and disorienting. What I didn't realize was just how much so. This was a well done slowburn. Don't make the same mistake I did and have patience. If you do you'll understand how dark, demented, and twisted this really was. I thought I was desensitized, but when I realized what actually happened I couldn't believe how cruel and evil people could be to each other. I didn't see it coming and now that I understand I have to say, well played!! Give it a watch.

First, it is a horror film. That is important because the expectations for a horror film are a lot more flexible than with other genres. An audience will give the creator more latitude, more flexibility, to achieve a result. Second, the creator, writer/Director Steven J. Mihaljevich, has a reputation as a maverick. That is, he does not offer the traditional linear narrative or traditional filmic exposition. He is all about jump cuts, scenes with limited, jarring dialog, and shocking images that come and go almost with a mind of their own. There is a story, of course, but it is presented as a puzzle, for the viewer to piece togather. Third, the detailed reviews offered here by members do not match the overall ratings for the film left by viewers who did not bother to leave a review. The reviews here are mainly 10's. The actual ratings, not so much. And fourth, in my time at IMDb, with over 2000+ reviews, the reviews left here are some of the most sophisticated "fake" reviews I have ever seen. They could win an essay contest. But they are not genuine. Conclusion? The final product is visually stunning in sections but not necessarily entertaining. Mainly for film students looking to see how far the medium can be bent before it breaks completely. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

Some of the best horror films are those that burn slowly, embers of nightmarish intent smouldering until the end, and continuing to burn into the mind long after the final image fades.

VIOLETT (named after the young girl in the film) is a study of psychological disrepair, shrouded by an ominous cloud of despair. It's a young woman's personal hell, a mother, Sonya (Georgia Eyers), traumatised, struggling to cope, terrified for her young daughter's safety.

There is danger at her doorstep. Her husband is at wit's end, and her neighbours are weird. As Sonya's reality unravels - providing the viewer with a suitably unreliable perspective - the darkest truth is finally uncovered. It's a terrific ending.

Imagine David Lynch down under. Think the elements of mystery and allure from Blue Velvet, but from the point of view of Dorothy.

Writer/director Steven Mihaljevich has conjured a very dreamlike portrait of the ruinous nature of guilt. Rich in symbolism and texture. It's a film that is beautiful and grim in equal measure. Georgia Eyers is fantastic in the lead role as Sonya.

Watch it on the biggest screen you can.

Sonya plays a great role as an addicted and sorrowful mother, whose child Violett apparently gets kidnapped, as have other children in the town. This movie is also notable for the vibrant colors in the cinematography. There are flashbacks, showing as a child Sonya suffered from a rather stern and possibly violent father, making her childhood one more of horror than of a carefree childhood. She also has dreams, that are woven with reality such that one cannot be certain if what she sees is real or in a dream. She is clearly addicted to drugs, and has the look about her of an addict who forgoes eating for drugs. Her dear child Violett just never returned home from school, and that was the day Sonya didn't accompany her home. We see early glimpses of the joy she had in meeting and marrying Stan but that seemed to be replaced with a more exasperated Stan, who tries but cannot pierce her state of mind. This is not a joyful film, and just some of what Sonya goes through is enough horror for many. The pacing may seem slow, but it unwinds the many interwoven parts nicely.

This movie... please give it a chance because it blew my mind. What really blew my mind was the 4/10 rating. Let's just say that the cinematography gives the atmosphere and the ambience of the dark, psychological and most uncomfortable kind of horror I could never imagine putting myself in. The movie really played me in the end and for a movie to make my mouth drop takes a lot. The acting was really well done by a cast I've never seen before in my life. If anybody can recommend more movies like this one, I would grately appreciate it. It's rare these days to find a good horror of any sub genre to give a good shock value along with a deep story line.