Venus (R, 2006)
common sense media says
Superb acting on life's journey; not for kids.
parents & educators say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this poignant British drama is for older adults and will hold little appeal for teens or even young adults. The themes are mature and require an adult perspective to appreciate it. As far as content goes, well, that's pretty mature, too. An elderly man croons lasciviously at a much younger woman who trades sexual favors for material gains, allowing him to kiss her neck, feel her breasts, and talk dirty to her. There's nonstop drinking, pill popping, semi-nudity, ubiquitous profanity ("c--t," "f--k"), and a painful discussion about the fact that the young woman was coerced by her mother into having an abortion. There's also a brief, violent fight scene.
Violence:
Young woman pinches older man, slaps him, elbows him away. Altercation between young man and old one; the old man swings at the younger one with a paddle, but it's the older man who's pushed and falls. Two older men slap each other with rolled newspapers. Discussion of forced abortion. Close-up of man's face during prostate exam.
Sex:
Older man kisses young woman's neck, touches her breasts, watches her bathe. She uses her body for favors. She puts her hand between her legs and teases the old man and shows him her breasts in attempts to wake him up. She also appears semi-nude as model in art class.
Language:
Lots of profanity. "I want to see your c--t." "F--k," "Christ," "Jesus," "professor of pu--y," etc.
Consumerism:
British beverages, food, clubs, clothing store. Jessie is fairly materialistic.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
Constant drinking and smoking by main characters. Older men rely on pills to help throughout the day; younger woman has many beers and gets drunk.
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