American Violet
The movie centers on Dee Roberts, a 24-year-old African-American single mom struggling to clear her name after being wrongly accused and arrested for dealing drugs in an impoverished town in Texas.
1 November 1960, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
17 April 1961, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
11 May 1964, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
22 April 1980, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
22 February 1967, Princeton, West Virginia, USA
August 30, 2009
[American Violet] is so compelling and intriguing that it's easy for the audience to forget they're being preached to.
May 15, 2009
A well-played if too-familiar story of oppression and injustice.
May 01, 2009
A torn-from-the-headlines tale of institutional racism and injustice in the Lone Star State of not-so-long-ago, American Violet might not be subtle, but it's certainly powerful.
July 17, 2009
Put on your outrage cap.
August 18, 2011
Less a social-problem film than a drama of personal courage.
October 15, 2009
While it may be about as subtle as a swinging sledgehammer, it does leave its mark.
May 01, 2009
A conventional but wholly gripping docudrama.
August 31, 2009
Nicole. Beharie. Remember the name, for if her stunning lead turn is any indication, huge things are in the future.
July 16, 2009
Newcomer Beharie gives a polished performance that deserves awards consideration.
May 01, 2009
Director Tim Disney and screenwriter Bill Haney lay out Dee's story with a minimum of fuss. They are smart enough to realize that the material is compelling all on its own.
July 17, 2009
It does almost everything well, from the direction to the performances. But it does nothing great, dragged down by an uninspired, and oddly uninspiring, script.
May 01, 2009
American Violet dramatizes Kelly's case, and does so in a way that will leave audiences applauding in their seats -- and wondering how much of the film is true.

