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A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

The movie is about the real story of a black woman who was the subject of freak shows in early 19th century London. It opens with a grotesque scientific convention scene where a group of physicians inspect the genitals of a woman preserved in a formaldehyde filled jar accompanied with a long, boring technical monologue which is aimed to reflect the "scientific" viewpoints of its time. Then, it is mired into an endless series of abuse scenes which get worse before the movie transforms into some kind of hard porn. The subject matter would certainly be a great story in the hands of a talented director, but in this case, there's no storytelling and the director simply makes the audience witness her sufferings in real time with repetitive freak show scenes which follow one after another and drag on until the audience is bored to death. One final word about the lead actress, Yahima Torres. Throughout her ordeal, she simply looks bored rather than disturbed and agonized with no reaction to her abusers. With blank stares, she smokes, drinks and follows what she's told to do. From the trivia, I understand she was simply picked up from the street for this role without any preceding professional career. Her inexperience could be the reason why she was so submissive to director's strange style, otherwise it's difficult to imagine any self-respecting actress would go along with such a bizarre scenario. What a sad start for a career and what a sorry piece of junk for such a great and promising material.

This film is NOT for the faint of heart. Nothing is censored, just the bare naked (literally) truth. Black Venus tells the true story of Sarah (Baptized name) Baartman, a South African woman of Khoisan descent who in the early 19th century was led on false pretenses of fame and fortune to England only to be exploited for her body.I watched this film with a basic understanding of Sarah's biography. With this in mind, I am a little surprised that the film didn't get a higher rating. Yes, it is difficult to watch. Yes, it shows exploitation and abuse at its finest (if that's even the correct word to use here). Yes, there is shocking and pornographic scenes that are not suitable for the faint of heart. Yes, you will be disgusted.But you should be. This is a very accurate portrayal of what happened to the true "Venus of Hottentot." She was exploited for her body, people paid to touch her buttocks and her genitalia was a matter of scientific intrigue. This movie is not a pleasant watch, but the topic itself is not a pleasant truth. This is a dark side of history that is difficult to explore, and the director and the main actress do a wonderful job of portraying it as such. History buffs, this film is for you - especially if you are interested in African/Women's history. For the faint of heart, avoid this film - and for the curious, make sure you know fully well what you're getting into.

A doctor introduces the audience to what is about to unfold before our eyes on the screen. It is a lecture about an unusual woman who puzzled the scientists of the early XIX century. The subject of the study was a South African native, Saartjie Baartman, a woman of humble origins, working as a domestic help in the home of Hendrick Caezar, an opportunist, who realizes the potential in exploiting Saartjie to unsuspecting European audiences whose appetite for that type of freak shows proved to be a source of making money at the expense of the unfortunate woman.Another member of that circuit, the bear tamer Reaux, realizes the gold mine his friend has. Reaux manages to get Saartjie for his own exploitation. He devises a scheme where he pushes Saartjie into exhibiting her as a freak show for the corrupt higher classes of France, of that time. The bored high society saw in Saartjie an opportunity to satisfy their own perversity and abnormal sex desires, heightened by the presence of the exotic woman who is made to be the object of their fantasies. Ultimately, Saartjie resorts to prostitution, dying in miserable conditions. The ultimate desecration of this woman occurred as Reaux finally sells her body to the medical investigators Saartjie did not want to have them examine her most intimate parts."Black Venus", conceived and directed by Abdellatif Kechiche, the recent winner of best picture at Cannes 2013. The film is a documentary about the tragic life of a woman that attracted attention from people that exploited the physical attributes which she, a rarity for an ignorant public came to see as an aberration, as well as a sexual fantasy. M. Kechiche co-wrote the screenplay with Ghalia Lacroix. It is based on the real story of the South African woman, who finally was recognized as a victim of those who used her for their own benefit, getting rich by selling her as the wild animal she was not. The acting is one of the best things going for the film. Unfortunately, the central figure of Saartjie, as played by Yahima Torres, who appears to be a non professional actress, shows only a limited range of emotions, keeping her one expression, with the exception of her real tears, throughout the film. It probably is unfair to Ms. Torres, but she was in the company of more experienced professionals like the excellent Olivier Gourmet, who as Reaux, is the best thing in the picture. Theactor keeps surprising with every new appearance. Andre Jacobs as Fredrick Caezar manages to convey his hideous nature as the exploiter of the unfortunate woman. Elina Lowensohn makes an impression as Jeanne, the only kind soul Saartjie met in her life.Director Kechiche shows incredible talent and it is apparent he will be a force to be reckoned with in his future endeavors. The cinematographer, Ludomir Bakchev captures the mood of the period in which the action takes place.

While you watch it, this movie will seem too slow, and repetitive. Then you will walk out of the movie theater and start thinking about it: was it too slow to voluntarily short circuit your movie consumer's habits ? was the repetitiousness not unlike some kind of minimalistic serial music? The next day, you will not have completely forgotten the movie, the same way you have completely forgotten the movie you saw the week before. Then, little by little, in the face of the harshness, inhumanity and sheer jungleness of the everyday world, you will think back on Venus noire, on how this movie is a kind of allegory for man's difficulty to care for others. Actually, the repetitiousness of the movie will seem to you not unlike the repetitiousness of man's constant recourse to the "master and slave" scenario to get ahead in life; and the slowness will seem to you not unlike the incredible length of time man is taking to try out some new kinder, less individualistic, more humane scenario which would not only help "the master/s" get ahead. The epilogue images are all about mankind being somehow, sometimes capable of forfeiting its "master and slave" compulsion. Thank you art for reminding us we are capable of that !