Black Venus / Vénus noire
France | 2010 | col | 164 mins | dir. Abdellatif Kechiche, with Yahima Torres, Olivier Gourmet, André Jacobs, Jonathan Pienaar | cert. 18 | in French and English with English subtitles
Based on the true story of Saartjie Baartman who was known at the beginning of the 19th century as the 'Hottentot Venus', because of her extraordinary physique, Black Venus reveals the tragic fate of this young South African woman who abandoned her body to the audiences of London's freak shows and later the salons of aristocratic Parisians. As her fame spread Saartjie became a lightning rod for early 19th century attitudes toward sex and race, fashion and body image, exploitation and colonialism. Yahima Torres's remarkably complex portrayal of the central character reveals not just a mute symbol of victimhood but also a woman capable of fierce defiance. Through Black Venus Kechiche questions the audience and explores our relationship to difference and to humanity.
Venice Film Festival 2010 – Official Selection, in Competition
South Kensington 
