TIFF 2020 review: Violation balances natural beauty with harrowing violence

Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli’s Violation is a stunningly beautiful film that is almost impossible to watch. A harrowing revenge tale shot in the picturesque Quebec Laurentians using only natural light, Violation is filled with scenes of striking beauty, set against some of the most horrific imagery and gut-wrenching performances you can imagine.

Miriam (Madeleine Sims-Fewer) is struggling in her marriage to Caleb (Obi Abili) and returns to her hometown with Caleb in tow to reconnect with her estranged younger sister Greta (Anna Maguire) and her brother-in-law Dylan (Jesse LaVercombe). The sisters have an adversarial relationship and spend their time sniping at each other, leaving Miriam to confess her issues to Dylan during a late-night bonfire. After waking up to Dylan sexually assaulting her, Miriam becomes convinced that she has to do something drastic to save her sister, pushing her to the very edge of her sanity.

Violation is a brutal examination of sexual violence and how that plays out in families. Madeleine Sims-Fewer brings so much pain, frustration, and rage to Miriam, much of it directed inward as her plan comes to fruition. Female-led revenge films often rely on an act of brutal transgression to allow the protagonist the cathartic thrill of taking out the perpetrators: there is an element of that in Violation, but directors and co-writers Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli seem more interested in exploring how that violence affects one’s sense of trust, especially in those closest to us.

Violation is an incredibly difficult film to get through, and it should be. You can marvel at the unique doubling shots of the striking and remote landscape and the riveting central performance by Sims-Fewer, but you’ll be left wrestling with the lingering notion of trauma and how that pain and anger can manifest in the most unexpected ways.

Violation is screening at the 2020 Toronto International Film festival. For tickets and the complete schedule, visit the official TIFF site.