| American Violet | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Tim Disney |
| Produced by | Bill Haney |
| Written by | Bill Haney |
| Starring | Nicole Beharie Will Patton Michael O'Keefe Tim Blake Nelson Xzibit with Charles S. Dutton and Alfre Woodard |
| Cinematography | Steve Yedlin |
| Editing by | Nancy Richardson |
| Distributed by | Samuel Goldwyn Films |
| Release date(s) | April 17, 2009 (limited) |
| Running time | 103 min. |
| Language | English |
American Violet is a 2009 drama directed by Tim Disney and starring Nicole Beharie.[1] The story is based on Regina Kelly, a victim of Texas police drug enforcement tactics.[2]
Contents |
Set in the midst of the 2000 presidential election, American Violet tells the story of Dee Roberts (Nicole Beharie), a 24 year-old African-American single mother of four, living in a small Texas town (based after Hearne, Texas where the real incident took place). One day, while Dee is working a shift at the local diner, the powerful local district attorney (Michael O'Keefe) leads a drug bust, sweeping Dee’s housing project. Police drag Dee from work in handcuffs, dumping her in the women’s county prison. Indicted based on the uncorroborated word of a single and dubious police informant facing his own drug charges, Dee soon discovers she has been charged as a drug dealer.
Even though Dee has no prior drug record and no drugs were found on her in the raid or any subsequent searches, she is offered a hellish choice: plead guilty and go home as a convicted felon or remain in prison and fight the charges thus, jeopardizing her custody and risking a long prison sentence. Despite the urgings of her mother (Alfre Woodard), and with her freedom and the custody of her children at stake, she chooses to fight the district attorney. Dee works with an ACLU attorney (Tim Blake Nelson) and a former local narcotics officer (Will Patton) to take on the Texas justice system.[3]
The movie is based on the civil rights lawsuit of Regina Kelly v. John Paschall, filed on behalf of 15 African-American residents of Hearne, Texas who were indicted in November 2000 on drug charges after being rounded up in a series of paramilitary drug sweeps.[4] The lawsuit accused Paschall and the South Central Texas Narcotics Task Force of conducting racially motivated drug sweeps for more than 15 years in Hearne. In 2005, the ACLU and Robertson County settled and the plaintiffs agreed to dismiss the individuals named in the suit, including Paschall.[5] The fictional Harmon County represents Robertson County, Texas where John Paschall continues to serve as District Attorney.[6] Regina Kelly continued to live in Hearne, Texas until 2009.[7]
Clay Kane said that American Violet is "the first must-see film for African-Americans in 2009".[8] Dr Joy Browne of WOR Radio reviewed the film, calling it "A gem of a movie. Timely, thought provoking, passionate, exciting. Everything you look for in a movie experience and more."[9] Rex Reed of The New York Observer said that the film is "a rich, vibrant narrative film guaranteed to move everyone who sees it".[10] Roger Ebert gave the film three stars and commented that "Nicole Beharie delivers a stunning performance."[11]
  | American Violet (2008) - Full cast and crew - American Violet (2008) - Full cast and crew |
| | New York Observer - Finally, a Good Movie to See and a True Story I Can Believe In! | The New York Observer |
| | Frontline's documentary The Plea - frontline: the plea: four stories: erma faye stewart and regina kelly | PBS |
| | Samuel Goldwyn Films - American Violet - Samuel Goldwyn Films |
| | Dr Joy Browne's Movie and Theatre Reviews - Dr. Joy Browne's Movie and Theatre Review |
| | Roger Ebert - American Violet :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews |
| | Telluride Film Festival - Conversations: Regina Kelly, Nicole Beharie, and Tim Disney - Telluride Film Festival |
| | American Violet - American Violet (americanviolet) on Twitter |
| | What The Flick - What The Flick | BET.com |
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