Where to watch 'Violet'? Release date, trailer, and all about the Justine Bateman directorial

Violet is one of those movies that make you confront your worst enemy: the voice inside your head. Directed by actor-turned-filmmaker Justine Bateman, the movie debuted at the 2021 South by Southwest Film Festival before being released at select theaters on October 29. The film will be made available on Video on Demand from November 9 onwards.

The movie tells the story of a 32-year-old woman who realizes that her entire life is built on fear-based decisions. She must do everything differently to become her true self.

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'Violet' trailer

The trailer opens with Violet Calder, played by Olivia Munn, waiting at a traffic light when we hear her inner voice, voiced by Justin Theroux, telling her all sorts of horrible things about herself until she breaks down. But Violet, the mild-mannered studio executive, decides she has had enough and will do exactly the opposite of what the voice tells her.

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What is interesting about 'Violet'?

Director Justine Bateman has used some interesting mechanisms and stylistic choices in the film. She has utilized cursive writing strewn across the screen, almost covering it, to illustrate the various thoughts and fears that go on inside Violet's head. The font was constructed by Bateman herself.

Repeated images of catastrophic events recur throughout the film as a visualization of Violet's panicked mind. Bateman uses a technique called 'Flickering Myth' to do this. Flickering Myth is a face-melting montage of traumatic images like the one shown in the image of a decaying fox or two exploding cars, images that help us visualize her mind.

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Bateman's immersive and thought-provoking debut film explores what happens when you stop living in constant fear. Violet can no longer ignore the daily barrage of criticism that goes on inside her head and clouds her life. They make her hold back from all kinds of professional, personal, and romantic decisions which she knows she wants. Thus, she takes a more frightening path and decides to do the opposite of everything that voice tells her.

Bateman's directorial debut looks very promising and thought-provoking, exploring a terrain in filmmaking seldom explored before. It is a must-watch if you are looking for something original and fresh. Catch Violet on Video on Demand on November 9.