Violette

While Violette is a fine biopic, the most notable thing about it is its length. It’s one of the 10 longest WLW movies at 2 hrs 19 minutes. That’s not even particularly long, though I feel like I’ve seen much of Violette before in numerous other biopics of this sort.

Taking place in the early 20th century, Violette Leduc has dreams of being a writer despite being both a woman and a bastard. These dreams go unrealized in her relationship with fellow writer, Maurice. Violette’s introduction to Simone de Beauvoir changes everything for her. De Beauvoir is perhaps the first person to really see Violette’s talent and potential. With de Beauvoir’s advocacy, Violette now finds herself mixing it up with other writers and intellectuals of the time. Yet still, it is an uphill battle to have her writings published. And on a personal level, Violette is rather tortured. She struggles with feelings of inadequacy, a profound feeling of loneliness and a love for Simone which goes beyond what Simone offers her.

I really appreciate biopics like this, about the somewhat more forgotten important figures of a period. It would have been as easy if not easier to just do a film about Simone de Beauvoir or Jean Genet. Instead, Violette introduced me at least to a writer who I was not familiar with and makes a strong argument about why she is not just talented but important. It also does not ignore or minimize that this important historical person was queer and obviously, we love to see that on wlwfilmreviews.

Much of the strength of the film is in the dialogue, especially when it is Violette’s genuine written word. As a main character, Violette has a distinct voice and point of view about the world. It’s a pretty depressing one, but also one full of insight particularly into the ways in which women continue to be unequal in society. While things were changing at the time, Violette is a film about the deep thoughts and rich inner lives of women during a time that such things were rarely celebrated.

What is notable about the film is Violette’s perpetual lonliness and feelings of ugliness and inequality. What I find interesting here is that as a French film, you still do see a fair amount of sex onscreen. Yet neither sex nor relationships “fix” Violette. There always remains a chilly disconnect between her and a world she perceives as not wanting her. These are problems that go beyond something a sexy affair can fix. That doesn’t mean you can’t also have a sexy affair, it just won’t remove the soul-deep feeling of despair. Unfortunate.

Overall, Violette is a well put together biopic about a more than worthy subject. It is not exactly the most groundbreaking biopic by any measure and I still think it runs a touch long. But this is ultimately, a solid film about queerness, feminism and feelings of loneliness that are at once very specific and yet almost universally part of the human experience.

Overall rating: 6.8/10

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