Justine Bateman, former child star of 80s sitcom Family Ties, makes her feature film directorial debut with the thought-provoking drama, Violet, at the Toronto Film Festival. The success of the film rests on the shoulders of Olivia Munn, playing a successful Hollywood executive, Violet, who battles multiple insecurities exacerbated by the voice in her head (otherwise known as ‘the committee’) voiced by Justin Theroux, who takes her to task at every opportunity.

Says Bateman of the origins of this high-concept film, “I wrote it in 2011 and then spent a year and a half getting the money together. When it came to casting, I looked at Olivia’s work and there was this element where I knew she was right for Violet. And she really gave herself to the part.”

Violet exemplifies many women who radiate success, but whose go-getter image stands in stark contrast to inner lives steeped in self-doubt and self-hatred. Munn explained to festival press: “You have to really push a lot of stuff down to keep up appearances and [handle] what Violet goes through, and it’s what many of us, especially women, have been conditioned to do, which is swallow all of our emotions, our fears, anything that makes us more human, just to keep up appearances so that other people can feel comfortable around us.” She paused. “It was important that not only could you feel that Violet was holding her breath, but that she’s someone who’s learned to breathe underwater.”

Like many actors, Munn is of the opinion that working with a director with an acting background brings an ease to their working relationship. “I’ve worked with some amazing directors but Justine is my favorite, truly. She could talk to me, actor to actor, which was a huge gift,” she smiles. “And although I was really scared going into this, Justine made me feel like I wasn’t alone. I had her to lean on.”

It sounds like Munn has had some challenging experiences with directors in her eclectic resume, which includes The Newsroom (2012 – 2014), Date Night (2010), Iron Man (2010), Magic Mike (2012) and X-Men: Apocalypse (2016). “Well, to me, there are three kinds of directors. There’s the kind that helps, the kind that stays out of your way, and the kind that gets in your way. Ideally, you want somebody who’s helping.”

The cast is rounded out by Luke Bracey as Violet’s screenwriter friend, who has all the winning attributes (kind, supportive, and handsome) but is not high enough on Hollywood’s food chain for her to consider seriously dating. It also stars Zachary Gordon, Cassandra Cardenes, Dennis Boutsikaris, Keith Powers, Peter Jacobsen, Bonnie Bedelia, Todd Stashwick and Erica Ash.

Violet presents an important take on issues that confront women in the entertainment industry, and for Bateman, it’s in many ways autobiographical. “In my past, I made a lot of fear-based decisions – not all the time, but enough times where I didn’t feel like I was being myself. And I unwound that, and once I unwound that, I felt angry because time had been stolen from me, moments had been stolen from me, even days. And when you put all that time together, it totals years of my life that I wasn’t really being myself,” she reflects.

Although the movie is a Hollywood-centric tale, it most definitely addresses universal themes. “Many people who read the script, including an African-American gentleman from Atlanta, in his 40s, said after reading it, ‘I get this. This is what I go through.’ And actually, a lot of guys of different ages said, ‘I wish I’d seen this three years ago. It would have saved me months of therapy.’”

She adds, “Of course this film applies to women and women in the business, but really, it’s just about the human condition and having fearful thoughts and making decisions based on those thoughts, which take you off the course of your life.”

Clearly, this is a very personal film for Bateman. “In a way, Violet is a revenge film. It’s the film I wish I had seen at 19 so I would’ve become myself faster than I did.”