• Release year: 2024
• Director: Kimberly Reed.
• Producers: Steven Cantor, Jamie Shutz and Mike Stafford.
• Cinematography by: Rose Bush and Joshua Z Weinstein.

Shotgun Commentary: emotional documentary about trans and queer rights, and the importance of doing the right thing.

Review

I’m Your Venus is a documentary that follows the aftermath of Venus Xtravaganza’s death, how it still affects her biological and chosen families to this day, over thirty years later.

Venus Xtravaganza made her jump into fame with the documentary Paris Is Burning (1990), a piece she never got to see, as she was killed two years before. In this new work, her brothers team up with the House of Xtravaganza to try and bring her justice.

A beautiful contradiction

The story is characterised by duality, both in theme and characters. On the one hand, you’ve got Venus’ biological family and their quest to bring her killer to justice. On the other hand, the house of Xtravaganza and their fight for queer and trans communities. Both sides are intertwined beautifully in an intricate braid of a narrative that ultimately delivers a crucial message of humanity and community.

As previously mentioned, the two main storylines are the investigation of Venus Xtravaganza’s now very cold case, and the opportunity to take a big step forward in the history of transgender and queer communities by changing her dead name for the one that was really hers: Venus. In addition to this change, the house of Xtravaganza also decides to bring forward a motion to make of Venus’ home a city landmark.

Anyone who has read this website for a while now, knows that this author is a sucker for mystery and horror and, while the latter is anything but enjoyable in this case, the need for an answer to the murder is still very real. The thirst for justice is awakened and fuelled throughout the documentary, making for a very bittersweet ending. A conclusion that hopefully makes enough people ache for the truth to inspire the investigators to finally bring it to a proper close, unlike their colleagues before them.

Amazing personalities

Narratives aside, the characters of the documentary are also incredibly inspiring. It brings hope to see that even the most strict, traditional, heterosexual of men are capable of understanding and accepting a way of life that is so foreign to them. Granted, and José Disla Xtravaganza said it best, it is a bit too late for love and comprehension. Still, it is encouraging to see that anyone can change when they really want to listen and understand.

In fact, the emotional journey of the three brothers is so beautiful that it will bring tears to your eyes. Especially if you have siblings and can relate to their bond. As for the house of Xtravaganza, it is everything and more. They have beauty and heart, they are sweet and fierce. It is beyond logic to think that anyone would be against such incredible individuals. Nevertheless, they still have to face the abuse of people whose tiny minds can’t comprehend how brilliant diversity is.

Rudimentary in the best way

The documentary is recorded and edited a bit hazardously, with awkward silences and slightly forced conversations included. This homemade-looking technique works perfectly fine with the story that is being told. It invites the audience to share the point of view of the person recording. Thus making them feel like part of the story. It goes as far as to silence every dead name uttered during the footage. A simple and small detail that becomes one of the most powerful elements of the whole feature. It states an intention and makes clear the position of the creator without taking up any time to explain it.

All in all, I’m Your Venus is a documentary that will make you laugh, cry, rage, think, and most importantly, reevaluate your life and behaviour towards those around you. From the mothering of the House of Xtravaganza, to the passion of Venus’ brothers, and the work of all institutions and companies relevant in the documentary, the whole piece comes together as an example of just how beautiful life could be if people were a little more human.

Praia Formosa will be screened at London Film Festival the 10th and 13th of October.

Advice to take from this movie:

• If you love your relatives, just tell them. It doesn’t take much effort, and you never know when they might need to hear it.
• Everyone deserves justice, if you don’t agree, don’t enter the force.
• Quoted from the documentary itself: Let’s embrace diversity and not be selective about what we want to embrace.

What’s your take? Have you watched I’m Your Venus? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀