Dorathen Better Late Then Never

Sharkflei Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

Tobias Burrows It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Kayden This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

eeames This film exuberantly participates in the very abuse it purports to critique, debasing its actors, it audience, and most unforgivably, its subject. There is but one well-composed shot--of Saartjie and a journalist departing in a carriage--otherwise it is chock-full of lazily composed close ups of repulsive people doing repulsive things to an inscrutable, and hence utterly unknowable, totally cardboard, victim--one who can drink, smoke, cry, cough, yes, but what the hell is she thinking?! The director lets us in on nothing--she remains silent, acted upon, never reacting much less actually taking action! The one time in the screenplay that she resists unwelcome scrutiny, her decision is rendered incomprehensible by all the other exploitative events in the lamentable tale--based loosely, very, very, loosely, upon a true life-story. And sorry, but there is absolutely no need to cheapen the depth of the real woman's tragedy by all too simplistically literalizing (the totally un- historical) prostitution of Saartjie Baartman (note: I do not believe this is in any way a spoiler). Wow, I have never hated a movie this much--and I had high expectations because of thefascinating subject and because I very much enjoyed the filmmaker's "secret in the grain" (but for the indulgently long belly- dance) and "the games of love and chance"...but this one is hideously, monstrously, unforgivably, exploitative of a woman who has already suffered enough.

stensson This is the story of the black woman in the early 1800s, shown on cheap varieties as the so called Hottentott Venus. She behaves like an animal, is treated on stage as an animal and is regarded as such by the rude audiences.She isn't a slave. Not technically, but the agreement with her employer is of course on his terms. There are also other forms of performances. This woman also acts in front of Parisian high society and not at least in front of the scientists of the time, who find resemblances with the orangutan.What her employers is exploiting is not just this woman; they also exploit racism and the different kind of audiences let their racism be exploited. There are of course money to be made from prejudices. 200 years ago and now. This our lesson.

thisissubtitledmovies excerpt, full review at my location - While some will attest that the armless Venus De Milo is a work of art, actual physical faults are treated with considerably less vigour – even when they're a result of nature itself. The Venus in Abdellatif Kechiche's biographical drama never comes close to attaining the stature of a God, but nevertheless provides the basis for a fascinating meditation on how one can be judged by the sum of their apparent parts.The film's value lies in its ability to interconnect human sciences with medical science, genuinely accessible as an historical biopic of sorts, but never exclusively tied to a timeline. In avoiding becoming too self- righteous towards his subject, Kechiche achieves a lot with his ambitiously-scoped examination of cultural ignorance, and integrates conventional biopic stamps into his outlandish topic. Even if a chunk of Black Venus could acceptably be consigned to the cutting room floor, it's difficult to condemn its unrelenting vision, and the level of interest in its unique appeal makes for a thoroughly worthwhile experience.

dbborroughs Before start I need to say that the cast is great especially Yahima Torres as the title character. Its an Oscar worthy performance, unfortunately it's buried in a film that is abusive to its audience as it is to the title character.I saw this at the first screening at the NYFF and when it was over the audience around me wanted to find and kill the director. The audience was subdued, or rather the audience that remained was subdued and was mumbling about what would have made the film better...This is the story of Saartjie 'Sarah' Baartman, best known as the Hottentot Venus, a woman of unique proportions who was exhibited all over Europe and died a tragic death. The film is told in flashback and starts with a lecture where her body parts are exhibited, and then flashes back to her days in London before taking us all the way back to her dissection. Its a warts and all look at the abuse she suffered in her life.Nasty unpleasant unending film that is nothing but a repetitive catalog of the abuses that Baartman suffered in her life. It goes on and an on as she's abused in shows, by scientists, in sex shows, in brothels and as a streetwalker. There is no light no character only abuse.The idea is that we are suppose to be made to feel complicit in the abuse and we are supposed to feel something but after almost three hours of GRAPHIC abuse wears you down. You go numb and if you were part of the audience at Alice Tully Hall you want to find the director and hit him.While I wasn't driven to homicidal thoughts I was bored after a certain part and by the time she's cut up and put into jars I didn't much care.On the other hand the news footage that plays during the end credits of her remains being returned to South Africa brought me to tears, but it would have done so even if I hadn't been abused for three hours.Honestly the director makes his point after ten minutes and doesn't need two hours and a half hour more to repeat the point. By doing so he loses the argument and the audience.