Violet and Daisy (Geoffrey Fletcher, 2013)

[domino harvey]

I know this sat on the shelf for a couple years before finally being released a couple months ago, but how long had it been sitting there, since the mid-90s? It's rare to see such a blatantly unchecked Tarantino ripoff these days and this film belongs more with the rest of the post-Pulp Fiction carpetbaggers than anything new or interesting happening now. That said... I thought this was one of the better attempts at trying to be the next QT/Boondock Saints (And those are its two bloodlines, so that tells you far more about this film than any detailed plot description could), even if the world of the film makes no logical or even, often, narrative sense. It's brazen disregard for basic functional plausibility sometimes works in spite of itself, and though the film has absolutely nothing of interest to say with regards to having two teenybopper girls operate as hitwomen, the goofy leads are charming enough in their fashion. This reminded me a lot of one of my favorite Tarantino ripoffs, the Highwayman, in that both are utterly indefensible and objectively awful, and yet there's still some brazen quality both possess that draws me to their complete messes. Buuuuuuut I still think most everyone can safely skip this one though!

[Lemmy Caution]

I looked up VD and the featured review on IMDb sounded an awful lot like a press release for the film:

Alexis Bledel, Saoirse Ronan and James Gandolfini, the three well-chosen and committed leads, are all playing against type in what may be the most interesting roles of their careers. Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Danny Trejo are also exceptional. Rising star Cody Horn appears briefly as a pop starlet. I found it odd to see such a diverse collection of talents working in harmony not only with one another but within this alternate universe.

In addition to its array of unexpected (and suspenseful) moments, the film meditates on friendship, girl power, materialism and regret. Throughout, Fletcher imbues striking compositions with symbolism while gracefully moving through a myriad of tones and genres. The use of music is extraordinary. All of these elements working in concert with the film's considerable humor and technical command create a singular experience. I have no memory of a recent independent film that was this daring, multi-layered and assured.

The film has yet to be reviewed widely but it is no coincidence that some of the most thoughtful early writing on it came days, not hours, after the first Toronto screening. Fletcher and his remarkable collaborators may have also provided us with a litmus (if not Rorschach) test for cinephiles and critics alike. All in all, perhaps a film this bold ought to polarize in an age of shrink-wrap cinema.

I remember how I first felt watching Godard's Breathless and Alphaville. They were so different from anything I'd ever seen that it was at first unsettling. Once I found a doorway into these new worlds, however, escape was impossible. I feel the same way about Violet & Daisy.

[domino harvey]

Jean-Baptiste and Trejo both put in obvious one day on-set work in the film, calling them exceptional is hilarious. The Blu-ray also features an insert with a letter from the writer-director that throws around self-congratulations in a slightly less awkward fashion than the above, but it wouldn't surprise me if some intern wrote the IMDB review if not the director himself (though if it IS written by a studio lackey I'm surprised they wouldn't mention Tatiana Maslany, who is probably the most visible of the non-leads thanks to Orphan Black). "VD" is the perfect shorthand for this, though!