THE VENUS OF WILLENDORF
[LA VENERE DI WILLENDORF]
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 7.5 Alternative Scale: *** out of ****
Italy, 1997 Running Length: 1:26 MPAA Classification: No MPAA Rating (Nudity, mature themes, sex, profanity) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Shown at the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema, 5/4/97 & 5/5/97
Cast: Iaia Forte, Luisa Pasello, Emilio Bonucci, Ilaria Occhini, Emanuela Macchniz, Paolo Bonanni Director: Elisabetta Lodoli Producer: Elisabetta Lodoli Screenplay: Heidrun Schleef, Elisabetta Lodoli Cinematography: Cesare Accetta Music: Savio Riccardi In Italian with subtitles
Images of food can provide powerful visual stimuli to a film-going audience. Movies like BABETTE'S FEAST; THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE, AND HER LOVER; and EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN have been known to send viewers scurrying to the nearest restaurant after the screening. THE VENUS OF WILLENDORF, Elisabetta Lodoli's feature debut, also uses food, but for a vastly different effect. Here, the spreads are not sumptuous and mouthwatering, but grotesque. THE VENUS OF WILLENDORF tackles a subject that few film makers have the courage or desire to approach: bulimia.
Actually, it's a little unfair to characterize this as a "movie about bulimia," since it's anything but a clinical examination of eating disorders (the word "bulimia" is never mentioned). Rather, THE VENUS OF WILLENDORF is a character study of a woman with severe self-esteem problems. Bulimia is just one piece of a sad, fragmented puzzle -- a symptom of a deep psychological distress that no one notices.
Years ago, cousins Elena (Luisa Pasello) and Ida (Iaia Forte) were best friends who fell in love with the same man, Enrico (Emilio Bonucci). Elena captured him, and a rift developed between her and Ida. Now, some fifteen years later, they are attempting a reconciliation. Much has changed. Elena's marriage is crumbling, due in part to her coldness. Ida is also in the process of ending a long-term relationship, but her outlook on life remains upbeat, unlike Elena's. The more time the two spend together, the more convinced Ida becomes that something is seriously wrong.
Elena's story is tragic, and Lodoli chooses to present it in a humorless, dour fashion. It's an effective and accurate depiction of bulimia -- the mood swings, the secret bingeing and purging, and the constant obsession with appearance. Eating disorders are about control, not weight, and THE VENUS OF WILLENDORF emphasizes this point. Lodoli also uses a number of visual cues -- such as Elena regarding her naked body in a distorted mirror -- to highlight the psychological dimensions of the character.
The acting is of the highest caliber. As Ida, Iaia Forte brings a liveliness that serves as an effective counterpoint to Elena's unhappiness. Emilio Bonucci conveys Enrico's frustration at his inability to understand or reach his wife. Most importantly, Luisa Pasello is entirely believable as Elena. It's a finely-modulated performance that gets everything right, from the smallest mannerisms to the broadest gestures.
Lodoli calls THE VENUS OF WILLENDORF a "psychological thriller," and, while I don't necessarily agree with that label, there's no denying that the film contains both mounting tension and a sense of mystery. Really, though, this is an intimate look at one woman and her problems, and, as such, it's singularly effective.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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