The darkest face of Esther Exposito
Much of Venus by Jaime Balaguero takes place in claustrophobic spaces. Long corridors that are visually deformed, rooms that grow or shrink due to lighting. But in particular, the whole film has an air of suffocating physical tension, as if the building that gives it its name is a ravenous monster.
Indeed, in some ways and in this respect, Venus determines her own destiny. Everything that happens in the mysterious realm of a horror-centric building has the power to be a door to an unknown place. So scary and unique that it creates its own rules, perceptions and journeys in the dark.
Balaguero, who joined The Fear Collection anthology produced by Sony Pictures and Pokeepsie Films, is repeated with the terrible through the material. Something is happening in the old building in the scene of the story. It has such an eerie and inexplicable tenor that … Venus is supported by the description of doors and windows in all her special vitality.
Of course, haunted places and terrifying locations have a long tradition in horror cinema. The building of Venus in Jaume Balaguero’s film respects the trope’s most recurring codes while doing something else. It extrapolates it until it becomes something more complex, aware of the weight of its plot and supported by the darkness of its characters. This mixed Venus gives the author a permanent identity, which allows him to explore new spaces related to the subject. One of the most interesting moments of its history.
Venus
Joining the anthology The Fear Collection from Sony Pictures and Pokeepsie Films, Jaume Balaguero experiences horror when it’s tangible. Something is happening in the old building that serves as the setting of the story. Such is the eerie and inexplicable tenor that Venus is supported by the image of doors and windows in all her special vitality. Of course, haunted places and terrifying locations have a long tradition in horror movies. The film’s Venus premise pays homage to the trope’s most recurring codes, but also does something else. It extrapolates into something more complex, aware of the gravity of its plot and supported by the darkness of its characters.
Horrors lurking in forgotten corridors and stairs of Venus
This reimagining of Dreams in a Witch’s House by HP Lovecraft is intuitive and wickedly witty. Like the tale of the same name, Balaguero takes its time to show the extent of the darkness surrounding the characters. That’s why he pays special attention to his characters.
Lucía (Ester Expósito) is an exotic dancer who makes the worst mistake of her life. Not only did he dare to rob the crime lords who ran the place where he worked. He also escapes with a large booty, hoping to escape the life and danger he has lived up to that point. The screenplay was written by Balaguero himself and Fernando Navarro (Verónica). analyzes the daily threat. Lucia’s problems require mundane, immediate and practical solutions.
But even more twisted, they open the door to the supernatural. The concept of everything the character can and will do to save his life is skillfully constructed. And more, with the actuality of the pattern, which is elegant in the most ambitious sense of its scope. Is the supernatural the limit of everything? Lucia is capable of stealing, certainly killing, and will do anything to avoid detection.
The solution to his dilemma is to hide with his only living relatives. The director thus develops his character’s pariah and outsider character, which will allow him to face the raw horror later on. Her sister Rocio (Angela Cremonte) and niece Alba (Inés Fernández) are the last people Lucia will turn to.
So, snuggling up next to her makes Venus’s first few minutes into something more complex, cohesive, and connected to her personality. The script moves quickly to show Lucia torn between domestic disputes, family tensions and more. Because the Venus building is not just a place. It is also an incomprehensible thing that is about to slowly consume him.
A race against time and darkness
Venus takes time to reveal her secrets. With this, the director tries to create a breathless atmosphere. The floors are wet and disgusting. Moisture leaks from the walls. The director knows that the greatest effect of his film is to slowly show the darkness that lives at the bottom of ordinary situations.
This is what Rocio does when he runs away and leaves little Alba in Lucia’s care. What is happening ? Why? The question becomes more and more disturbing, chilling and twisting as the building becomes borderline horror.
From Lucia’s nightmares, everything in the Venus building feels shrouded in sinister secrets. Venus is a brilliant collection of ideas about the supernatural. It’s also about the good, the bad, and just how one gets involved.
For her shocking and well-constructed home stretch, Venus finally reveals her riddles. But even against the terrible light, there is an element of deep beauty in this twisted, elegant terror, underpinned by a hidden power. The high point of an elegant and provocative film that surprises with its effectiveness.
