American Violet comes close, even dangerously so, to falling into a pit of melodrama. Gladys (Pamela Tyson) has been kicked out of her government-funded home for taking a plea bargain from a racist DA. Her friend Dee Roberts (Nicole Beharie), who chooses to fight against the system, sits with Gladys on a swing set.
Gladys is suffering from a heavy cough, which could be a number of things, but is never explained by the film. It exists purely as an added emotional toll, something that has developed since she was kicked out. It gives Dee a reason to fight after her wrongful imprisonment, yet is unnecessary, despite the strong performances.
American Violet is filled with numerous reasons for Dee’s struggle, and the drama here is enough to carry the film. Her four kids with three different fathers, lack of employment, violent ex-boyfriend, and wrongful drug charges are enough to give anyone the will to push back.
Calvin Beckett (Michael O’Keefe) plays the DA with a smug, cocky attitude, a perfect villain. Dee meets him in court while her lawsuit against Beckett (in conjunction with ACLU) is pending. Her ex is suing for custody of her children.
O’Keefe admittedly overplays the scene, a DA so obviously spewing hatred towards everyone, no one would ever elect or believe him. Still, the scene works, building Beckett as a man only in this for show and Dee as a strong single mother figure. Her near outburst against Beckett shows her control, a departure from her outburst earlier in the film.
American Violet suffers from other issues, including flat characters, the worst being Sam Conroy (Will Patton). Despite being a key lawyer in the case, the audience knows little of him beyond his sick wife, and sick with what is also unexplained. Xzibit is the abusive ex-boyfriend, and while the role is powerful in terms of its impact on the story, the character is given marginal depth.
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