Written and directed by Anna Emma Haudal, Liv is in her early twenties and very close to her parents, working in the family greengrocer business when, against all expectation, she falls in love with a spirited and somewhat older rainbow girl, Andrea. Starring: Johanne Milland, Josephine Park, Anne Sofie Wanstrup, Lars Mikkelsen, Sofie Gråbøl and Morten Hee Andersen.
For an unexpected romance taking place in the countryside with a young woman in a heterosexual relationship, finding herself suddenly attracted to a free-spirited, eccentric lesbian, The Venus Effect is pretty much what you’d expect. It can be charming, sweet, cute and awkward but it’s also splitting itself in too many directions to tell one strong romantic story. That foundation of attraction, desire and opening yourself up to new things, is a good one and that could have easily seen the film through to the end as it has plenty of its own obstacles. Especially with the age gap and hugely different experience levels but instead Anna Emma Haudal also threads through empty-nester dissatisfaction and divorce.
Arguably, it comes perfectly naturally into the story but it’s a big distraction that occasionally takes over The Venus Effect’s entire attention span, and it does no favours for Johanne Milland’s Liv. The way that her reaction and behaviours are written make her feel rather childish in an unflattering manner. Granted she’s got reasonable issues to work through, but the character is written to be so conflict averse that she’s either completely inactive and just lets everything happen or she’s having a tantrum. There really wasn’t the room to explore both experiences, her feelings about her parents’ changing relationship and her changing perspective of her own life, or at least not in the friendly, romantic context of Haudal’s style.
It’s a shame really as there’s so much chemistry between Johanne Milland and Josephine Park, the sparks undoubtedly fly from first sight. To not give their love story the entire film’s attention feels like a misstep. Their performances are endearing yet can be challenging at times, the characters are each flawed in their own way. Park is particularly good at creating unique personalities, and in a confidently charming way, she has the ability to add such complexity, but it doesn’t feel like she truly gets the opportunity here. They’re both dipping into larger emotional issues but not given the opportunity to grab the bull by the horns.
There’s a great supporting cast behind them, Lars Mikkelsen and Sofie Gråbøl are excellent and add a nice amount of tension. Anne Sofie Wanstrup is an unexpected delight who instils a touch of comedy, she definitely deserved a bigger role because her bluntness and sarcasm are a great addition. All of them together really build that family feel and of living in a small, welcoming community, giving it a rustic, wholesome atmosphere.
The Venus Effect is incredibly warm and charming, it has such a classically cute air which is easy to be drawn in by. Johanne Milland and Josephine Park have such a natural and magnetic chemistry, and they’re backed by a superb ensemble. Anna Emma Haudal’s direction injects that warmth into its colouring and style, it’s quintessentially romantic. However, it feels like the story is pulling itself in a few different directions and it doesn’t have time to do justice to them all, so it ends up undermining itself.
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