‘Violation’ Is A Smart & Visceral Take On The Rape-Revenge Narrative [TIFF Review]

True to its name, “Violation” is about an unforgivable transgression. Written, produced, and directed by Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli, their feature debut follows Miriam (Sims-Fewer) on at least two (maybe more) trips to the woods. In one, she ends up venting about her marital problems to her sister’s husband, Dylan (Jesse LaVercombe) and after a drunk kiss the night before, she wakes up to find him raping her by the smoldering campfire in the early morning hours. Sometime later, as the blue-green leaves give way to red autumn ones, she invites him back to a cabin for what he believes to be a passionate rendezvous, but this is not a romantic romp like the warm afternoon light suggests. It’s Miriam’s chance for revenge, and she’s going to take it.

Scattered over various timelines, “Violation” plays with both the conventions of what audiences have come to expect from rape-revenge thrillers and the timeline of events. We don’t get the typical build-up arc of a horrific rape that leads to a cathartic (usually violent) revenge. Yet, despite playing with the timeline so subtly that it’s possible to lose track, “Violation” never loses its emotional impact. Sims-Fewer’s incredible performance takes up space usually reserved for blood splattery comeuppance with a full gut-punch of intensity. In the moment where Miriam could have just as easily bashed Dylan’s head in, she frets, working through her last-minute doubts over whether or not to go through with her plan. It’s the kind of humanity sometimes missing from movies like “Last House on the Left.” Instead of sadistically taking pleasure in revenge, Miriam still experiences remorse before pushing on to the next step. She’ll continue to deal with her trauma throughout the rest of the movie.

“Violation” has several tensions at play even before the movie’s namesake event takes place. Miriam does not get along with her estranged sister, Greta (Anna Maguire), and the two spend much of their time together locking horns over matters big and small. In one part of the storyline, Greta’s under pressure to host some 50 people, and in the other, she actively rejects what Miriam tries to tell her about Dylan. But it’s out of care and concern for Greta that pushes Miriam to take action against Greta’s good-for-nothing rapist husband. Miriam is also on the outs with her husband, Caleb (Obi Abili), which leaves her feeling isolated even among loved ones.

It’s not just the story of “Violation” that’s disturbing, it’s also its imagery. With the help of Adam Crosby’s eerie cinematography, Sims-Fewer and Mancinelli weave in surrealist visions, like a recurring motif of a black wolf eating a rabbit or hypnotic close-ups of body parts, that connect what happens to Miriam to her internal struggle. There’s an aimless feeling to a few of these dreamlike images as if she were lost. Adding to the film’s dreamy mood are the ever-changing colors of Miriam’s surroundings, as heavy color manipulation leads some scenes to look idyllically warm and inviting while others look downright nightmarish. This manipulation also comes into play during Miriam’s horrific violation, when it seems like her rapist’s fingers and body are greyed out next to her skin. It’s as if he were already a dead man. While some of the handheld camerawork distracts from certain still moments on-screen, other times it’s a perfect reflection of the chaos that has interrupted Miriam’s world.

“Violation” delivers a smart and visceral examination of the rape-revenge narrative, cutting out the exploitation aspects for something that’s bleakly more methodical and haunting. So much of the movie is dedicated to showing how Miriam gets rid of the body, and in the process, revealing how she’s compartmentalizing her trauma. “Violation” may center on an unforgivable act, but it’s also about healing, too. [B]

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