Venus in Fur

Alone in a Paris theatre after a long day of auditioning actresses for the lead role in his new play, writer-director Thomas (Mathieu Amalric) complains on the phone about the poor calibre of talent he has seen. No actress has what it takes to play his lead female character; a woman who enters into an agreement with her male counterpart to dominate him as her slave. Thomas is about to leave the theatre when actress Vanda (Emmanuelle Seigner) bursts in, a whirlwind of erratic and erotic energy. At first she seems to embody everything Thomas has been lamenting; she is pushy, foul-mouthed, desperate and ill-prepared - or so it seems. When Thomas finally, 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 has researched the role exhaustively, down to buying props, reading source materials and learning every line by heart. The likeness proves to be much more than skin-deep and as the extended audition builds momentum, Thomas moves from attraction to obsession... Based on the multi-award-winning play by David Ives, Venus in Fur is a witty, intelligent drama from Roman Polanski.