Venus Beauty Institute (1999)

DVD or VHS's cover will show you three workers (how do you say in English?) at a beauty salon, clad in vivid pink, but the film's main story follows Nathalie Baye's character, Angele, now forty-years-old, whose relationships with a man she loved in the past, it is implied, had not been an easy one. The moment she is ditched by a guy after a 3-days love affair, she encounters a new love without her knowing; in fact, you see behind that guy, an artist Antoine (Samuel Le Bihan, seen in "Brotherhood of Wolf") falls in love at first sight. Suddenly she is told that he loves her, and he keeps on coming in spite of her repeated rejection. Should she accept his love, instead of having an easy relations with forgettable dates, knowing that loving means complicated things, as she experienced before....

In the meanwhile, Angele's co-workers have their own relationships, and they are told (or implied) in a very subdued, subtle way. Samantha (played by Mathilde Seinger, younger sister of Emmanuelle of "The Nineth Gate" and Harrison Ford film "Frantic") seems to keep on having dates every night with different boys. Other worker, youngest Marie (lovely Tautou) is courted by an old, kind gentleman who asks her to come to his house. Among these well-drawn characters, you will meet many strange customers coming to the salon, who make you smile, including a totally naked "Madame Buisse"(!) coming to salon wearing ... a overcoat only.

The greatest virtue of "Beauty Venus" is Nathalie Baye's marvellous acting, which convincingly portrays Angele's fragile side of character, who cannot trust herself to anybody anymore. Her insecurity is sometimes very poignantly expressed, but her pain comes very naturally, because always superb Baye never relies on overacting here. That makes a good contrast to Audrey Tautou's innocent love, which is also an impressive part of the film. For all simple, and in a sense too familiar story of the film, "Venus Beauty" is a memorable film that makes you feel good, thanks to its romantic (but not sugary) atomosphere and insightful study of characters.

Using striking blue and pink colors, the director Tonie Marhall creates a small magical world where pains and regrets of ordinary people are not forgotten, but are presented with a delicate overtone. Everything is told in a understated voice, so you might feel the film is too slow-moving or dull at some times, but good performance and realistic feeling of the salon (they really made it on the street) make up for that. I assure you that next time you go to a beauty salon, you will smile remembering those colorful characters of "Venus Beauty Institute."

The film also gives extra fun to French cinema fans. Look for faces of Frederic Andrei (star of "Diva" -- long time no see), Claire Denis (director of "Nenette and Boni" -- Vince Gallo was there, remember?), Philippe Harel (director of "The Banned Woman") and many, many veteran actors. And Tante Maryse (one of Angele's aunts) is Micheline Presle, the director's mother.

Angele is very unhappy. She apparently has never been able to make a committment to a man. One man with whom she apparently had an earlier serious relationship appears throughout the film (she runs back to him whenever she is wounded), and it seems she may have once loved him, but somehow she shot him in the face.

Angele uses casual sex to deal with her unhappiness. Her tactics frequently led to bad experiences. One day as she is being dumped by her latest jerk, a young man who looks suspiciously like a young relative of Depardieu approaches her and tells her he has fallen in love with her. The rest of the film tells their story--including an ex-fiancee with a gun.

This is a beautiful film. The story is beautiful. The film contains beautiful shot after shot. I am attracted to color and the celadon greens, mango pinks, celestial blues, and others are fabulous colors are to die for (think Jamaica). The interior shots of the beauty institute, the apartments, the homes are filled with color and ambient lighting. Poitiers Cathedral at Christmas and the Christmas lights on the street are lovely.

I've spent a lot of time in salons being waxed, and plucked, and poked, and baked under a hair drier, and I have never seen the salon so well depicted. The characters who receive Angele's ministrations are treated with loving kindness and lots of hot wax and scented oil. This film is so REAL and if it says anything it says that LOVE is where you find it, even if it involves torture.