The black woman is on all fours. She growls like a wild animal at the white audience in a Paris salon. This is the first decade of the 19th century, and she is the Venus Hottentot. A white man/master holds the leash on her. She pulls on the leash and threatens a white woman with her teeth, and the white woman screams in fear. A dashing and fearless white man approaches the black beast, assumes control of the leash, straddles her, and repeatedly, powerfully, heroically slaps her big buttocks. He tames the African animal. Everyone applauds him. At the end of the show, the Venus Hottentot (played superbly, maybe too superbly, by Yahima Torres) returns to her dressing room, opens a bottle of whiskey, drinks deeply, drinks darkly, and drowns some of her pain and humiliation. The film is shocking; the film will break your heart. (Egyptian Theatre, 805 E Pine St, thestranger.com/siff, 8:30 pm, $11)
Charles Mudede—who writes about film, books, music, and his life in Rhodesia, Zimbabwe, the USA, and the UK for The Stranger—was born near a steel plant in Kwe Kwe, Zimbabwe. He has no memory... More by Charles Mudede
Recommend the vastly improved Neptune now.
Good films today at SIFF include The Whistleblower, Red Eagle, Codependent Lesbian Space Alien, Late Autumn, Backyard (director of this Icelandic music film in town), and Tapas.
Will, you might as well use the full title: Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same.
This film is utterly depressing…I can’t believe Charles did not mention her labia.
her labia might be mentioned in the “un-cut” version.