Violation

An erratic yet thoroughly striking horror film, Violation follows Madeleine Sims-Fewer’s Miriam as she attempts to rekindle her relationship with her distant husband (Obi Abili’s Caleb) and estranged sister (Anna Maguire’s Greta) at a weekend reunion – though a traumatic encounter with Greta’s husband (Jesse LaVercombe’s Dylan) threatens to derail the entire get-together. There’s ultimately little doubt that Violation improves steadily as it progresses, as filmmakers Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli initially deliver a low-key drama that suffers from an excessively deliberate pace and emphasis on small-talk conversations – although, to be fair, it’s clear that there’s something ominous simmering just beneath the surface (as evidenced by the portentous score and sinister, Lars von Trier-like visuals). It goes without saying, then, that Violation takes a turn for the better (much better) in the wake of a drawn-out yet completely electrifying encounter between Sims-Fewer and LaVercombe’s respective characters, after which point the picture segues into a mostly engrossing second half rife with tense, brutal sequences. (There is, for example, a long stretch devoted entirely to Miriam’s predominantly dialogue-free exploits that’s nothing short of spellbinding.) The end result is a rewarding and impressively accomplished debut from a pair of exceedingly promising new filmmakers, and it should certainly be interesting to see where they go next (and in which genre).

*** out of ****