Venus in Fur

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Venus in Fur

Released Jun 20, 2014

1h 35m

Drama

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88%

Tomatometer

117 Reviews

72%

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5,000+ Ratings

An enigmatic actress (Emmanuelle Seigner) may have a hidden agenda when she auditions for a part in a misogynistic writer's (Mathieu Amalric) play.

Critics Consensus

Provocative, funny, and brilliantly acted, Venus in Fur finds Roman Polanski in top late-period form.

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Judy Berman

Flavorwire

Lighthearted as it is, Venus in Fur has the rare effect of filtering the viewer's life through its own extreme lens.

Sep 21, 2017

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Steve Davis

Austin Chronicle

While the extraordinarily talented Polish-born director rarely falters in translating the source's theatrical strengths, his Venus in Fur feels oddly impersonal, lacking the trademark touch of Polanski perversity.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 4, 2014

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Eddie Cockrell

The Australian

What plays out is roller-coaster ride of shifting identity and sexual brinkmanship...Mischievous and sadistic by turns, it becomes a deadly serious battle of the sexes.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 23, 2014

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Giuseppe Sedia

Kino Mania

[The film] shows that Polanski has not dropped his fascination with Exterminating Angels – perhaps a reflection of his limited freedom of movement [It] marks Polanski’s return to the comedy-horror tone he established in The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967)

Rated: 3.5/5

Mar 25, 2024

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Denise Pieniazek

A Sala Llena (Argentina)

The latest film directed by Roman Polanski, Venus in Fur, is the fifth transposition of the novel The Venus of Furs (1870) in which a vision of the novel is presented that completely redefines it.

Rated: 8.5/10

Jan 14, 2024

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Charming, thought-provoking, and bound to incite conversation, Venus in Fur's greatest quality is that, through all of its devilish joys, Seigner and Amalric infuse the film with an unexpected depth of feeling.

Rated: 3.5/4

Aug 5, 2022

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Audience Member

A very shrewd way of using the process of creating a play to delve into the human psyche. A theater writer director and an actress engage in the power play between the sexes and self exploration. The characters switch back and forth between reality and make believe as they dominate and manipulate each other until the very end.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/07/25

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Alec B

I like that Polanski uses the confines of a two person play to his advantage rather than trying to expand the material for the film adaptation. The result is a claustrophobic thriller of sorts were suspense is derived not from danger, but from the ever so gradual upending of gender and sexual politics.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/18/23

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Audience Member

This is an excellent adaptation of the play. If you like clever seesaws, you will love this clever seesaw.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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júlio a

Mas que filmeeeeee absurdo de maravilhoso de bom. Só com 2 atores e nada leve o diálogo. Amei amei. Favorito fácil.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

Without any excess, a simple "recorded rehearsal" immerses you on permanent tension. Characters that surprise by their completeness and actors that excel at their roles. Just a under-climatic ending affects the perception of a great movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

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Audience Member

Mathieu Amalric is a playwright directing his own adaptation of the novel "Venus in Furs". Emmanuelle Seigner arrives late for her audition, but stuff happens and he agrees to let her audition anyway. A lot of other stuff happens. I kind of hate this film. I'll say up front that Seigner is wildly miscast in this part. She's easily 30 years too old for this role. That said, that has little to do with why I hated this film. It's an hour and a half of nonsense all designed to arrive at the destination you can see coming from 5 minutes into it.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

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Roman Polanski

Director

Emmanuelle Seigner

Vanda

Mathieu Amalric

Thomas

David Ives

Screenwriter

Roman Polanski

Screenwriter

David Ives

Writer

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Synopsis

An enigmatic actress (Emmanuelle Seigner) may have a hidden agenda when she auditions for a part in a misogynistic writer's (Mathieu Amalric) play.

Director: Roman Polanski
Producer: Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde
Screenwriter: David Ives, Roman Polanski, David Ives
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: RP Prods., Monolith Films
Genre: Drama
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 20, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 12, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $342.2K
Runtime: 1h 35m
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1

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