A few years ago, I was shocked to learn for the first time that not everyone has an inner monologue narrating their life causally in the background of their minds. You know (or maybe you don’t) – that voice that chimes in to dole out advice, snark, fear, and whatever else we’re thinking but can’t always vocalize. I’ve had one all my life and assumed it was a basic function of living, like hearing and smell. But estimates are that about half of us do, and half of us do not.
Violet is a movie crafted for that half of the world that knows what the voice sounds like. Or for anyone else curious about how the other half lives.
Written and directed by Justine Bateman, the film centers on Violet (Olivia Munn), a 30-something movie insider living in Hollywood, and the nagging voice in her head (Justin Theroux) that constantly holds her back. Violet uses a few techniques to immerse the viewer in that feeling, namely the narration from Theroux acting as an insight into Violet’s fears, written text on the screen to show Violet’s resistance to that narrative, and dialed up color and sounds to illustrate moments of emotional overload.
Violet’s voice bickers with her over things big and small. It tells her to haggle with a mechanic over the price of tires, to date certain men, to accept abuse from colleagues and family alike. When staying with childhood friend Red (Luke Bracey), who seems to live his life authentically and without hesitation, Violet begins to question whether that voice in her head is actually helping her make the best decision or if it’s a deep-rooted form of self-sabotage.
The immersion techniques I mentioned earlier – the narration, the text, the color and sound – all help to elevate Violet into something that seems a little more special, or at the very least, more imminently watchable and enjoyable than it might have been otherwise. Munn’s performance as Violet is subtle and solid, but Theroux’s dramatic imposition as her inner monologue is a highlight.
It’s easy to relate to the idea Violet presents, which is that most of us are holding ourselves back. Whether that’s because we’re afraid someone won’t like what we really think, because we’re invested in cultural norms that dictate behavior in specific situations, or because we don’t think our authentic selves are good enough, I think almost everyone can relate to a moment when they nodded in agreement but internally screamed in defiance.
In addition to the very universal message that sometimes we are our own worst enemy, Violet has some interesting themes on its mind, particularly when it comes to what we owe the more toxic and damaging elements of family. Bateman explores how much family and trauma influences the way we dialogue with ourselves internally, and how letting go of that emotional baggage can help us better ourselves, too. Most films about family are here to tell us that “hey – they’re not perfect, but you’ve only get one, and you’ll regret it when they’re gone”. Violet ventures to explore the damage of that mindset. It instead embraces the divine wisdom of Michael Shannon, who once spoke these wise words to an interviewer wondering how people should reconcile with Bible-thumping conservative family members who don’t have their children’s interests at heart: “F*ck ’em. You’re an orphan now. Don’t go home. Don’t go home for Thanksgiving or Christmas.”
That universal feeling is lost at times, though, in some of the more superficial trappings of the film and its settings. Many of us know what it’s like to hear an inner voice that holds us back, but I suspect very few of us are being held back from a gorgeous, rich screenwriter best friend as a potential romance. Or a dream job as a high level executive at a movie studio. The list goes on. As Munn and her friend, played by the stunning Erica Ash, roll their eyes with disdain over lunch about how everyone working in the restaurant is “clearly a model”, it’s hard not to feel that Bateman and company are operating on a very different level from the rest of us, because everyone in that scene looked exactly the same to this viewer’s eyes.
Violet features a character that might be living in a fantasy world, but that fantasy is nothing if not enjoyable. Its unique storytelling devices, slick editing, and very relatable concept help it stand out from the pack, and it’s a miracle when I say that I was never bored for a minute of its runtime, considering this is a film I watched along with a dozen others in the confines of only a few days.