"Venus" (2006) - Movie Review

He is a dirty old man who is hopelessly in love with the ethereal evanescence of women in this world, even if it is a young girl. It is perverse in the realm of moral boundaries. The limitations of the age and attitude towards sexuality acts inversely proportional, it is an automatic presumption that the reproductive organs and the sensitivity of human grow smaller and smaller, that the link from it to their brain cuts off. It is wrong. “Venus” a cutely erotic tale of two people one at the freshness of young age, Jessie (Jodie Whitaker) and other, a tattered old man, Maurice (Peter O’Toole) is aesthetic, guilty pleasure on rules of conservative society and more than that a relationship which constantly varies its name but we find in the end that it does not need one.

Maurice a long time theatre artist along with his friend Ian (Leslie Phillips) runs through spreading their pills on the table to choose their choice of delicacy of temporary ambrosia of extending their days. They discuss on how much of lines they would get on newspaper following their death. Any day, any moment, they are awaiting their end. Maurice does not want to waste it, even if it means checking out early after his prostate operation. Ian’s niece’s daughter Jessie comes to take care of him but she is far too mean and unknown, but Maurice knows women too well, or to be precise to say, does not mind constant insults from them.

Jessie is the rebel without a purpose. As forward and approaching Maurice is, Jessie or Venus as Maurice would call her is the same in retaliating physically without any mercy. Soon we see sexual advancements taking place which cannot be more subtle, erotic and emotional to say the least. It is not crass but the final statement of a man who spent his life for his pleasure. But he treats her well, listens and even the lewdest request he makes, he asks with the request which can be rightly termed gentlemanly. He says “Venus, I will die soon. Can I hold your hand?” Is he exploiting her? It looks like it but soon we realize how it goes the other way. We at times ask this old man, what happened to self esteem and insults, mainly embarrassment at this age. It does not matter at all, when it involves two people and both of them exactly know the deserving prize and punishment of it.

I have not seen Peter O’Toole’s films (if the magnetic voice of Anton Ego in “Ratatouille” counts as his acting, then I have seen one) but what a man of such a precision he brings into the Maurice. It is a representation of his career but does he brings O’Toole into Maurice? I would say he might have which is why we associate so well with these two characters blend into one. To this gentlemanly but far too forwarded sexual character is countered by Jodie Whitaker who is mean, in control with Maurice but naked in resistance with others. May be that is the reason she is controlling and arrogant with the old men, who cannot speak back or does not know the modernizing tackling techniques.

Some may flinch and despise Maurice for the exploitation he makes. Yet there is something so genuine about his approach towards Jessie. What we might not get is the definition of right and wrong does not apply in the circumstances of a dying man’s zeal and vibrant sexual woman’s unrecognized soul whom empathize each other in their own way of emotions. And how few scenes do they take with those and strike us comfortably and forget the advancements to accept the moment of it.

Roger Michell’s direction on the writings of Hanif Kureishi is a collage of comedy, depression, life, death, sexuality and acceptance. The scenes involving Leslie Smith and Maurice showing their friendship are something which touches your heart on so many levels more than the love shared between Ennis and Jack in “Brokeback Mountain”. Similarly the failed marriage and the eventual regret of Maurice with Valerie (Vanessa Redgrave) in a short flair is one another piece of selection they take to represent the emotions over editing.

Most of men grow old, some of us die young and every one has regrets and one beautiful body of that woman we were intimate in skin or in brain cells to their grave. Some get bored with their sexuality; others bound by the perceptions of their loved ones remain closed and caged. Maurice is the third one, who lives every moment of his numbered days till the end by the smells of those women and sleeps along with their memories.