Vénus et Fleur

I feel so lucky today to watch this movie. Fleur is the type of character I've been longing to see on screen.

Moreover, I could luckily enjoy such character in a really beautiful film. The two female protagonists are fairly well-built (although I honestly couldn't see any "character development" as other reviews have said), I love how the slow pace makes every scenes and events so vivid. This movie, somehow, offers such a very French tranquility vibe.

Besides, the biggest revelation for me in this movie is the character Fleur, I consider myself as Fleur and Fleur is also my dream. Therefore, in some ways, she seems so familiar yet so far-away. I'm so emotional right now. This movie aroused me so many feelings which I couldn't put into words. Hopefully, I can find my Fleur.

Follows the enjoyable French formula of a group of young people in a holiday villa on the coast, immortalised in such works as Éric Rohmer's "La collectioneuse" and "Pauline à la plage", Christopher Frank's "L'année des méduses," or Jacques Deray's "La piscine", to name just a handful. In sun-drenched settings, we can enjoy games of love and chance between bronzed torsos and skimpy bikinis.

This work keeps to the classic format, with just four characters to fall in and out of love with each other. The interesting difference, since human nature hasn't changed at all, is that the 21st century characters are given names from medieval tales.

Vénus is the goddess of profane love, beautiful in face and form, who is irresistible to any straight man. Fleur, with scraped-back hair and amazingly frumpy clothes (were they actually bought, or specially made?), is the unopened flower who needs the kiss of the fore-ordained prince to blossom into womanhood. Dieu is the king of the gods, with winning ways that will prevail against almost any earthly woman. While Bonheur, the honest backpacker, will bring happiness to the woman who is right for him.

A simple structure, with subtle elaborations and oodles of Gallic charm.

The plot: Fleur, a shy young Parisian in Marseilles, meets Vénus, a flamboyant but lost Russian girl. They have nothing in common, save for their wish to meet the ideal boy. Fleur is demure wallflower. Venus is the extrovert goddess.

It is the cast of four that make this movie totally enjoyable! Even though the story seems unbelievable (two girls, who do not know each other, mistakenly take each others bags and then spend a fews days in the house of an uncle), the casts makes it feel natural and normal.

You, as audience, feel as if you participate/take part in this adventure of trying to find your love. Where (un)suprisingly there does not seem to be a perfect route.

If you like not too fast French movies with nice human interaction, character development and a sympathetic cast, this is really one to watch.

I should start by saying that the plot summary here, doesn't really capture the Venus character very well in my view. However, I'll leave this and her to your own interpretations.

The films dialogue is perhaps slightly weak in a few places. Though I can't even be entirely sure about that as I watched an English subtitled version, and I really don't know how great those subs were translated. Perhaps people who can understand the film in French, may enjoy this even more. Hard for me to honestly say.

Some of the acting here is not all that great. Isabelle Pirès who plays Fleur however, is very strong in her subtle role. Apparently this is the only film she's ever done. The actress who plays Vénus is effective enough. I found her a little irritating at times, but I think that aspect actually suited her character, and perhaps was even done with purpose. Whatever the case, in full-scope it works well.

Overall I found the film to be a breath of fresh air. There's no violence in the film whatsoever. Yet the story didn't have much problem holding my interest. The film as a whole feels a lot more real than your average Hollywood picture. It's also far more beautiful than almost any Hollywood film made in the last 25 years. Vénus et Fleur has both a simple, and a more complex beauty to it I would say. While it may be somewhat weakly written in some areas, as I said, I can't even be sure of that. What I can say for certain is that it definitely does have some very well written parts/aspects to it.

Overall the film works wonderfully. The characters mostly feel very modern, while at the same time, there's a very natural and traditional aspect to Fleur that helps ground the film.

In my view, this is an impressive and beautiful work.

8/10.