Where old age meets fulfillment, friendship meets love and sea foam meets the shore, Roger Michell's ""Venus"" stands with frank, exquisite beauty. Peter O'Toole's Oscar nomination came well-deserved for his portrayal as Maurice, an aging veteran actor with a lumpy prostate and particular taste for pleasure.
In a less than passionate marriage and a career spiraling to has-been status, Maurice meets Jessie (Jodie Whittaker), the great-niece and new caretaker of friend and fellow actor Ian (Leslie Phillips). Jessie is young and vital, yet troubled and laden with a worrisome past. Maurice quickly befriends her, offering kindness that Ian and so many others cannot bring themselves to give.
This kindness cracks Jessie's willingness to love wide open. She bewitches him with companionship, in addition to her pale, bodily youth and Maurice comes to nickname her ""Venus.""
As the film progresses, the true nature of each character comes to light, and the friendship between Maurice and Jessie escalates into an odd, romantic awkwardness. There is no sex, at least not in the immediate sense of the term, just an old man's desires and a young girl's affection. They simply talk and eat. Maurice's warmth and acceptance allow Jessie to be herself and to reach a small amount of content for her less than ordinary life.
As repayment for his hospitality, Jessie allows Maurice the slightest of pleasures: a kiss on her shoulders, the scent of her neck. Maurice reaches his life's pinnacle during these odd bits of heaven and Jessie is moved by his eager reaction toward them.
While some American audiences may find these scenes perverted, their beauty defines the very essence of platonic love. Beneath the surface of these moments—and the surface of the film itself—there are lines that so many contemporary films are afraid to cross.
""Venus"" is a true piece of cinematic art and O'Toole is the lyrical gem at its center. In a script sprinkled with the quotes and dynamics of Shakespeare, he exhibits internal conflict with more talent than any of his competitors at this year's Academy Awards.
On a similar note, Whittaker should have easily garnered a Best Supporting Actress nomination; however, all of that aside, ""Venus"" is among a rare breed of cinematic art: that which questions the intertwining nature of literature and film. It uses mythology and Shakespearean verse to depict the strange process of aging—how human desire remains unchanged even when the body begins to decline.
Jessie's nickname can be attributed to the Roman version of Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty. Her presence is what forces Maurice to address parts of his life that he might not have been able to before. In the vein of ""Lost in Translation,"" this film questions a person's ability to see through unfortunate, pending circumstances and live wholly in the present. Worthy of anybody's time and unwavering focus, ""Venus"" is a reservoir of color and heart. For anybody that considers him or herself a true lover of film, this one is not to be missed.
