That job you hem and haw about quitting. That friendship you see slipping into romance. That dream you’re dying to chase.
Then fear gets in your way.
The Olivia Munn-led “Violet” headed to the Toronto Film Festival this week, putting a spin on what happens when you push back against those fears and start making better choices for yourself.
Director and writer Justine Bateman wanted the film (to be released later this fall) to be an immersive experience haunted by Violet’s inner monologue. Violet Calder (Munn), a film executive paralyzed by self-doubt, hears a constant, critical voice in her head – a brazen and brash baritone voiced by Justin Theroux.
Bateman, making her feature directorial debut, drew from her own experience of overcoming self-doubt. “I wanted the voice to be as different from Olivia as I could possibly get,” Bateman says over a Zoom call. “I changed the gender, changed the tone. Because a big difference for me in getting away from fear-based decisions was when I started thinking about these critical thoughts as if somebody else was saying them to me.”
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This “committee,” as Violet calls her negative thoughts, holds her back from asserting herself at work, shoring up a passion project film andfinding romance with her childhood friend Red (Luke Bracey).
Audiences also glimpse into Violet’s mind via onscreen cursive writing: “Is there something wrong with me?” one relatable question reads.
The message? Take action in your own life.
“There’s an opportunity for those negative thoughts to double down in those moments and say, ‘Yeah, why do you think that? Look around, just be grateful,’” Bateman says.
While Bateman set the film in Hollywood, “Violet” is not autobiographical, nor does she feel the film takes a stance on mental health. But the movie does promote facing irrational fears and being honest with yourself.
Violet overcomes her fears by speaking up for herself and doing the opposite of what’s scaring her – telling off her manipulative, misogynistic boss, taking a job at a different company and pursuing a romantic relationship with Red, among other changes.
“Everybody can really become themselves and not be making fear-based decisions,” Bateman says. “And it could be through methods that I show in the film, or other methods.”
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Munn shot two independent movies back-to-back then went right into doing “Violet,” she shared in a prerecorded Q&A at the film festival, and also had been recently diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder (Munn confirmed to People earlier this year it was fibromyalgia). She channeled the exhaustion into the role.
“We really talked about how we can use that in (Violet),” said Munn in the Q&A. “You have to really push a lot of stuff down to keep up appearances … Especially as women, we have been conditioned to swallow all of our emotions, our fears, anything that makes us feel more human.”
Bateman is also ecstatic for the mother-to-be: comedian John Mulaney recently confirmed he and Munn are expecting a child.
“I’m thoroughly excited for her,” Bateman says. “Motherhood is just going to be a great experience for her. I’m thrilled for her, and she’s done a great job in this film. I’m glad people will get to see what she’s capable of doing. And I hope she gets many more opportunities for roles like this.”
Munn told Access Daily this week she’s “feeling really good.”
“The outpouring of love and support has been really amazing,” she said, adding she hasn’t decided if she’ll find out the baby’s sex ahead of time.
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