‘Julia’ doesn’t pull any punches and kicks straight to the point with an innocent looking Julia (Ashley C. William) travelling along an escalator with an absurdly cheerful Japanese song playing over the top. Heading out on a date she arrives at Piers’ (Ryan Cooper) apartment/bar/nightclub to which she is greeted to a drink of paralysis and gang raped by him and three of his friends.

 

Left for dead and given a last minute breath of life by one of the perpetrators, Julia’s life becomes a new personality and over hearing a group of women over a glass of straight vodka, the new Julia is drawn into a world of organised crime dealing the ultimate penalty to rapists and disliked men across New York.

 

Welcomed to an exclusive club of what appears to be merely victims of rape, a mysterious Dr (Jack Noseworthy) shows Julia the way to give the ultimate vengeance but provides her with a simple list of rules which will prove to be more challenging than her rage filled self can desire. Throw into the mix a romance with gang member Sadie (Tahyna Tozzi) to add to the complexity of events and Matthew Brown has made one of the most beautiful films of the year.

 

Helped along by a pulsating soundtrack and a visual style that create a slick look and reminiscent of Nicolas Winding Refn’s ‘Only God Forgives’ married with the tone of ‘American Mary’, it’s hard not to be impressed by ‘Julia’s’ artistic form. Littered with references and nods to its heavy Eastern influence including references to the cult classic ‘Lady Snowblood’ as well as its soundtrack all inspire to make this a standout title in a growing cliche of revenge thriller.

 

While the film kick-starts the series of unfortunate events with the brutalities of what happened, William’s manages to hold her own through the turmoil of innocent victim to brutal attacker. At times those around her seem to dilute what is ultimately the performance of her career and one she will have to do a lot of hard work to beat.

 

There is a flip side to Brown’s tale of revenge however that softens the effect it should leave. While the ground of rape and revenge has been actioned many times before, Julia’s search for vengeance turns against all men but yet she remains persistent on her targets, this mixed conflict waters down the sympathy felt towards William’s character and through no fault of her own, rather a writer who feels the need to add in additional deaths for the glory of blood on the screen. Brown appears to have lost the moral message in ‘Julia’ that sees a vengeful woman drawn into a world of sex killings. While there’s a strange reveal from the head of the organisation, it remains unclear as to why the gang set about killing men and luring them away from their wives and girlfriends paying the ultimate price for a prying eye. While the idea is there, it’s poorly executed in an otherwise greatly received film.

 

The subject matter and the need to throw in as many naked shots and need to add in an unrequired lesbian romance dilute the morals of such a tale and seems to add to teenage male wishes rather than be the powerful female led movie it deserves to be. Yet beyond this, ‘Julia’ is a great example of how one person can drive a film that makes you care so much for it and its lead character.