Dee Roberts (newcomer Nicole Beharie) is a young single mother of four in a small Texas town who is barely making ends meet. When a powerful local district attorney (Michael O'Keefe) leads an extensive drug bust, he sweeps her housing project and charges Dee as a drug dealer. She is forced to plead guilty and go home as a convicted felon or remain in prison and fight the charges.
American Violet was the PSIFS March member screening.
What did you think?
• Read about the woman who inspired the film, Regina Kelly.
• Learn more about fair sentencing and the war on drugs at the film's Web site.
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2 comments:
Just back from the screening of AMERICAN VIOLET, having been stroked by all the proper feelings (which should make one a little leery...how did they do that?)
But it's well made, maybe too well made, with all the ducks in a row; the only unexpected is that the DA was reelected. The TV clips of W and Gore were not innocently there, and they do act as reminders of where and when. THe best thing is at the credits when Nina Simon sings..then all is right with the world.
A perfect example of a screenwriter's (in this case, Bill Haney) skills in manipulating emotions through the classic tension steps: a "heroine" with a goal, an antagonist, insurmountable obstacles to achieving the goal, an ally, more obstacles, and seeming defeat and concession by the "heroine", before the goal is reached. It must have been effective, because we were soooo uncomfortable for the first hour or so, before the "happy ending" arrived. Alfre Woodard was a delight, and I appreciated that the central character was not portrayed as an angel...just another human being with issues as well as rights. It will be interesting, in the Year of Obama, to see how potential audiences respond to the trailers.
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