Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
Venus (2017) is a drama about Sid (Debargo Sanyal), an adult transgender woman coming to terms with who she is, transitioning, and discovering that she has a teenage son.
Sanyal plays Sid as someone who is done with hiding her truth and decides to transition. She’s a bit apathetic and over everything, and it shows in her attitude. When she notices a teenage boy following her, she confronts him as if he’s yet another thing she has to deal with.
The teenager ends up being Ralph (Jamie Meyers), a son she had with the last girl she dated fourteen years ago, Kirsten (Amber Goldfarb). Then the story changes from being bout Sid, to being about Sid and Ralph.
That’s all I can say about the story.
Some Thoughts:
While I like the addition of Ralph, it changes the narrative from Sid transitioning to Sid’s relationship with Ralph. Sid accepts Ralph into her life mostly because of her parents, who are happy to have a grandson. After all, having Ralph to concentrate on softens the difficulties they’re having with Sid’s transition. It’s a bit of a win/win for Sid and his parents, but not the viewer.
If writer/director, Eisha Marjara kept the focus on Sid, this would have been a much better film. The addition of Ralph complicates an already complex story. One family dynamic is difficult enough, but now there are two.
Sid’s relationship with her parents is cemented early on, but Ralph’s relationship with his mother and stepfather, Max (Peter Miller), is a bit vague. We know that Ralph doesn’t accept Max, but we don’t know why. We also don’t know how Kirsten explained to Ralph why his father isn’t around. It’s also a bit odd that Kirsten doesn’t know any of Ralph’s friends or where he’s hanging out. It also makes Ralph’s story feel half baked.
Venus shines when it focuses on Sid. There are some subtle moments when Sid starts dressing as a woman that show the sideways glances and attitudes Sid has to deal with in public and at work, but that’s all we get. We never see Sid talking to her boss or co-workers about transitioning, so that portion of the story feels missing. There are some subtle moments at work, like when one of her co-workers brings some documents and can’t look at her, but that’s all there is.
Sid has two friends who are there for support. They never ask to meet Ralph, and we don’t see them past get togethers that feel more like a support group than friends meeting up. We also have no idea how they know each other. Sid’s friends could have added depth to the story, but instead they feel like a plot device.
The Final Verdict:
Venus would have been a better film if it kept the focus on Sid living her truth. Sanyal’s portrayal of a woman living in a world that doesn’t always accept her is relatable. Unfortunately, Sanyal’s brilliant performance gets lost in a film that lacks focus.