Product Review

Alone in a Paris theater after a long day of auditioning actresses for his new play, writer-director Thomas (Mathieu Amalric, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) is distraught that no one has what it takes to play the lead female character: a woman who enters into an agreement with her male counterpart to dominate him as her slave. Enter pushy, foul-mouthed, desperate and ill-prepared actress Vanda (Emmanuelle Seigner, La Vie en Rose) who is a whirlwind of erratic - and, it turns out, erotic - energy. When Thomas reluctantly agrees to let her try out for the part, he is stunned and captivated by her transformation: not only is Vanda a perfect fit, but she apparently has researched the role exhaustively, learned her lines by heart and even bought her own props. The likeness proves to be much more than skin-deep, and as the extended "audition" builds momentum, Thomas moves from attraction to obsession until the balance of power between director and actress shifts completely. Based on the Tony Award-winning Broadway play by David Ives, VENUS IN FUR is the latest work from master filmmaker Roman Polanski and a showcase for powerhouse performances from its two acclaimed leads.