New Directors/New Films Review: 'Violet' Is An Exquisite, Artistic, & Triumphant Tour-De-Force

Watch out for Bas Devos, people. If his feature debut, “Violet,” is any indication, the Belgian director is going to be a major art-house name. Along with DP Nicolas Karakatsanis, for that matter. This is an exquisitely shot suburban tale of trauma, stretching the "show-don’t-tell" golden rule of filmmaking to the furthest reaches. In fact, before advocates of sensational shot composition and meticulous camera control choke on too many superlatives here, it’s worth noting that “Violet” might suffer from a too-much-of-a-good-thing syndrome when it comes its visually arresting qualities. The film almost looks too good for the story it tells, which is spread noticeably thin over its succinct 90-minute run time. In any event, Devos and Karakatsanis need to be on everybody’s radar because “Violet” is a shoo-in candidate for one of the best looking films of 2015.

After a few blips of digitized violet light, the film ever-so-slowly zooms away from a developing scene in a...