Review: Venus vs. Me (2010)

Directed by: Nathalie Teirlinck | 25 minutes | short film | Actors: Thomas Ryckewaert, Sarah Van den Berghe, Brit Van Hoof, Geert Van Rampelberg

Nathalie Teirlinck does not make things easy for her viewers. She juggles in “Venus vs. I like to use all kinds of symbols and her film sometimes feels like a block of concrete around our necks. Too much emo and a fair of cinematic tricks ruin it a bit. Marie is a twelve-year-old girl who tries to give herself a place in the world. She is quite quiet but makes up for that with her talent for swimming. Mother is doing her best but is in a knot with her feelings. In her final sprint to puberty, Marie also undergoes physical changes that make her anxious. Teirlinck has apparently paid attention in the film lessons and therefore squeezes everything out to convince the viewer that she is right. The fiddling with the tape only gets on the nerves and is just repetitive. The camera also makes strange movements. This looks more like a charm offensive to cover up a few things in the area of ​​the scenario. In addition, it distracts the attention of a charming protagonist. “Venus vs. Me ‘is a poem that succumbs to too many fine words.