Play Violet for Me (2015) User Reviews

A thought provoking Noir Style film that makes you question the concept of Identity

[bmoviep · 8/10 · 11 February 2017]

"Play Violet for me" is a murder mystery in the style of a classic Noir film. Foley, a stalker obsessed with a young woman named Violet, finds Violet murdered one night after following her home. He calls Violet's identical twin sister Lyla to discuss the murder and affirms his innocence. The film transitions between the present day and the past, showing the exchange between Foley and Lyla as well as scenes of Foley's increasing obsession with Violet up until her murder. The present is shown in black and white to portray the somber overtone of the murder being discussed. Conversely, the past is represented in bright and vibrant colors, symbolizing Foley's idealized version of the past and of Violet. After listening to Foley's story, Lyla confesses to murdering her sister and claims that she was actually Violet all along. Foley's failure to identify Violet reveals his obsession as nothing more than him projecting character traits onto someone he never actually knew. This exposes his feelings as superficial and lacking any basis in reality. Violet had used Foley's obsession to set him up as the main suspect to her sister's murder, placing him at the scene of the crime. In the end it's uncertain whether the murderer was in fact Violet, or actually Lyla playing Violet and taking on her sister's identity. This film questions the very concept of identity and whether our perceptions and the qualities we attribute to ourselves and others define reality.