Britain has a long tradition of making kitchen sink realistic dramas. It is often a genre for new British directors to cut their teeth on. A lesser-known film from this subgenre that’s worthy of being written about is The Violators.
Shelly (Lauren McQueen) is a 15-year-old girl who lives on a rough estate. Despite her older brother, Andy (Derek Barr) being her legal guardian, Shelly must act as the responsible one in their family unit and care for their younger brother, Jerome (Callum King Chadwick). Shelly also becomes the target of the affections of Mikey (Stephen Lord), a pawn shop dealer and loan shark, and Rachel (Brogan Ellis), a 17-year-old girl from a wealthy suburb.
The Violators was the debut, and so far, only film written and directed by Helen Walsh. She has previously worked as a novelist. With her first film she made something that was in the British Kitchen Sink tradition like Kes, Fish Tank, and Jellyfish as it shows the hard life of a teenage character. In The Violators Shelly was someone who had suffered in life and continued to suffer.
The Violators opened by showing the extreme level of poverty Shelly was living in. Shelly played on a 2p coin pusher machine and then checked all the machines to see if there was any loose change. The main character in Jellyfish had to do something similar just to ensure her family had a few extra pennies. Shelly was a character that was forced to cheat and steal to survive, like getting her younger brother to distract an arcade owner so she can hit a coin pusher or try to rob a car. Even when someone showed Shelly some kindness, she had a sense of distrust and was willing to use her light fingers.
Shelly’s poverty and experience made her a target for grooming. Mikey immediately took a fancy to Shelly and wooed her by giving her and her family gifts, complimenting the teen, and waving her brother’s debt. Mikey also used Shelly’s insecurities against her so he could get her to have sex with him. It was hard to watch, especially when Mikey does get his wicked way.
This storyline was similar to Fish Tank. Fish Tank was about a 15-year-old girl from a rough estate who was excluded from school and her only outlet was dancing. She also became the target of an older man. Both films saw the sexual groomers worm their way into their targets’ families. The fate of the lead actresses in both films mirrored each other because they both ended up having major roles in soaps. Katie Jarvis was in Eastenders and Lauren McQueen ended up in Hollyoaks.
Rachel tries to act as Shelly’s guardian angel. She tried to befriend Shelly and offered Shelly gifts, but Shelly distrusted the older teen. It took a lot more effort for Rachel to break down Shelly’s walls. The question that lingered throughout the film was what were Rachel’s motives?
At the time of The Violators’ release McQueen and Ellis were emerging actresses. McQueen had roles on shows like 4 O’Clock Club, The Mill, and Ordinary Lies, whilst Ellis was in Waterloo Road. McQueen’s career continued to rise after The Violators since she was in Hollyoaks and Bulletproof and she’s set to appear in Apple TV’s Masters of the Air. However, McQueen’s performance was disappointing at times. She was fine during gentler moments like when she was looking after her brother or interacting with her neighbour she was attracted to, but in any scenes that required more intense emotion she came across as stiff. Ellis gave a stronger performance, especially when she had to cry. However, Ellis seems to have quit acting. Her last credit was a short film in 2018.
The Violators story at times seems to jumble about. There were small subplots that seem to be added to extend the story. In a novel this would be fine because subplots could be expanded, but in a 90-minute film they were unnecessary. The final act took a more surreal route which undercut the grim reality The Violators was trying to show.
What made The Violators stand out was its gritty approach. The estate Shelly lived on was dominated by gangs and drug dealers, a dealer wanted Shelly to perform a sex act for some weed and Shelly told them to ‘fuck off.’ The estate was covered in overgrown weeds and Shelly’s home was bare bones. It stood in contrast to Rachel’s home because she lived in a big, well-decorated house in a nice suburb. Rachel’s life was radically different to Shelly’s since she was doing A-Levels, partook in fencing, and was bound to go to Cambridge.
The Violators was a film brimming with potential. It may not match the highs of the greats of its subgenre, but it does keep to a tradition of gritty British dramas and is worth checking out for people who enjoy that type of film.
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