A Vigilante
An Irritatingly powerful story that transcends all barriers. - 7/10
by Francesco Bakhos - 365 Movies Lebanon
This movie was not perfectly crafted to please all tastes.
A Vigilante follows the story of Sadie, a once abused woman, devotes herself to ridding victims of their domestic abusers while hunting down the husband she must kill to truly be free.
Before I talk about the numerous features that made this film 'Cinematically' stand out, I would like to discuss a little in depth about its focal point, the cause A Vigilante stands for : Domestic Abuse.
According to the UN WOMEN statistics on Domestic Abuse in the Arab World, 1 in 3 women have experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner. In some countries, the rate of women experiencing such violence surpasses 65%. Moreover, more than 6 in every 10 women survivors of violence refrain from asking for support or protection of any sort. The ones who do speak up mostly turn to their family and friends rather than the police.
Such violence aslo tend to have some drastic physical effects such as bruises, broken bones, head injuries, lacerations and the list goes on. But what's more alarming is the psychological impact such as acute stress, constant fear and severe anxiety. Depression is also common, as victims are made to feel guilty for provoking the abuse and are frequently subjected to intense criticism. But the most commonly referenced psychological effect of Domestic violence is PTSD.
Luckily, there exist several Nonprofit organizations such as KAFA, whom strive to eliminate all forms of gender based violence and exploitation.
For those who are still reading, thank you for sticking this far. The reason that drove me to write this Essay is to highlight how small yet intense movies like this one can capture the essence of a worldwide struggle that a large number of women in Lebanon are no strangers to. Just imagine, if one day a domestically abused woman somehow gets to watch this film, its story might somehow inspire her to escape her abuser and seek help. This is the kind of movies the world is so desperate for. What I'm trying to say is that A Vigilante' story is both inspiring and universal. Its far more than just a regular revenge story, as some might describe it, its really multilayered. But what's truly impressive is that its shockingly real!!
To continue, some of the other factors that totally wowed me are the cinematography, the camerawork, the color pallette... Everything was executed perfectly. In general, the whole atmosphere of the film, despite being Nerve-wracking, was intense yet empowering.
Lets not forget about the extremely well choreographed fighting sequences that are to say the least very satisfying.
But the thing that totally took this film to a whole new level, is Olivia Wilde's exceptional performance. The amount of hard work put into her role is impressive. I cant seem to find the proper words to actually describe how powerful her performance was. Let's just say that this role will definitely define her entire acting career.
At the end, A Vigilante is an Irritatingly powerful story that transcends all barriers. Its a cause within a movie.
Totally recommend it.
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