20 Best Movies Of 2021 (So Far)

Violation is not a film that can be recommended to everyone due to its eminently triggering potential, but as a mighty, revisionist riff on the played-out "rape-revenge" subgenre, it is masterfully conceived.

Rather than luxuriate in the satisfaction of a victim turning the tables on their attacker, Violation decides to instead linger on the utter empty despair that comes with revenge, while never once shying away from brutality both physical and emotional.

Madeleine Sims-Fewer, who wrote, co-directed, and starred in the film, is a revelation as tortured protagonist Miriam, a woman scrambling to make sense of her trauma and how best to conquer it.

Violation isn't really entertaining or satisfying, but it is a dramatically striking reinvention of a genre typically known for its flippant ick. There is nothing flippant about this movie.