Bereavement and trauma can be
weapons in the right hands, wielded with precision and intent. Steven J.
Mihaljevich's upcoming feature Violett is not only a weapon, it is an
esoteric nightmare born from the mind's eye. A living dirge of surreal
terror and psychological torment, this is the one of the most potent horror
films in recent memory. Featuring a heartbreaking central performance,
genuinely unsettlingly visuals, and one of the most memorable denouements in
recent memory, this is an exceptional sojourn into the heart of
grief.
An inverted ghost story by way of memory and
deception, the viewer is given little to work with and this is with devious purpose.
Mihaljevich's intent is to confuse and terrify and as such the viewer is
dropped directly into the mystery of Violett. Who is this child?
What happened to her? The answers to these questions are explored in a
slow paced, day dream ambiance that borders on the hellish landscape of
violence and regret. Mihaljevich's script is a coconspirator, offering
little in the way of clues, but when all is revealed, it becomes absolutely
clear that this was done by perfectly malicious design.
Comparisons to Lynch are inevitable, but Carnival
of Souls might be a closer ancestor. There is an absolutely jaw
dropping black and white dream sequence that has to be seen to be believed,
encapsulating the personal torments of guilt and depression. Shane
Piggott's bruised cinematography especially shines, highlighting a demonic
candy man while the heroine is surrounded by black eyed specters. The
result is a skin crawling revelry that one is not soon likely to forget.
Much like the personal monsters that haunt the mind right before sleep, these
entities are the very essence of doubt and shame given form to a profane
reality.
Georgia Eyers performance as Sonja is the
lynchpin. It is obvious that her belief in the material and implicit
understanding of Mihaljevich's vision is unassailable. Her commitment to
the role and her absolute surrender to the world that is being constructed around
her is admirable. This is, at its essence an adult fairy tale, a parable
about how the mind retreats from trauma, building and rebuilding shattered
memories in order to function. Eyers is the Alice in Mihaljevich's
insidious Wonderland, surrounded by all manner of strange rogues, the standout
being Jay Jay Jegathesan's creepy street artist, whose narrative significance
only increases after the finale.
Coming, hopefully very, soon, Violett is
a poisonous knockout, a breathtaking durance through the mind of a mother who
has lost the ultimate. Mysterious, puzzling, and at all times provoking,
this is high concept cinema at its finest. Mihaljevich and his crew have
created a visual stranglehold that simply refuses to relent. From the first frame to the last, the viewing
experience is akin to holding one’s breath indefinitely. Beautiful and
malevolent, this is a viewing experience that will remain ingrained in the
psyche long after the credits fade to black.
--Kyle Jonathan.