Venus Beauty Institute

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Venus Beauty Institute
Directed by	Tonie Marshall
Produced by	Gilles Sandoz
Written by	Tonie Marshall Jacques Audiard Marion Vernoux
Starring	Nathalie Baye Bulle Ogier Samuel Le Bihan Audrey Tautou
Music by	Luiz Bonfá Khalil Chahine
Cinematography	Gérard de Battista
Editing by	Jacques Comets
Running time	105 min
Country	France
Language	French
IMDb profile

Venus Beauty Institute (French title: Vénus beauté (institut)) is a 1999 French movie, directed by Tonie Marshall. It stars Nathalie Baye, Bulle Ogier, Samuel Le Bihan, Jacques Bonnaffé, Mathilde Seigner, Audrey Tautou, Robert Hossein, Claire Denis, Micheline Presle, Emmanuelle Riva and Elli Medeiros.

It won the César Award for Best Film, Best Director, Best Writing and Most Promising Actress.

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Angèle is a 40 year old beautician who works at the title establishment in Paris. She has been an orphan from the age of eight, her father having killed her mother for suspected infidelity, and then killed himself when her infidelity was proved untrue. She picks up men to have short sex flings, but no longer believes in love, having hurt her former boyfriend, Jacques, who she occasionally contacts out of loneliness but is never available at the same time as her. An unkempt younger man, Antoine, sees her at the train station as she is being dumped by her latest fling, and falls in love with her. He stands outside the beauty shop to watch for her, and when he finally meets her he declares his love for her, but she does not immediately return his feelings. Also, Antoine reveals that despite his feelings for her, he is engaged, but feels he is drifting away from her. However, despite her refusal to believe in love, she gradually falls for him.

Venus Beauty Institute is run by Nadine, and Angèle's co-workers include Samantha, who has a string of dates and gives Angèle their descriptions, and Marie, the youngest who is still learning the ropes. The co-workers' love lives contrast with Angèle's. Marie has as her client an aging pilot, who had been burnt and had his face reconstructed from his late wife's skin. The pilot wants Marie to come to his house, which she eventually does, watched by Angèle and Antoine. Angèle is concerned that Marie is too naïve and that the pilot invited her to his house to seduce her. As Marie and the pilot kiss each other, Angèle and Antoine also start kissing.

Christmas is approaching, and Angèle goes to her aunts in Poitiers. Antoine had revealed that he is a sculptor, and had been commissioned to do an altarpiece for the cathedral there. She goes the the cathedral to see the artwork, but changes her mind when an old friend recognizes her. Returning to Paris, Angèle goes to the hospital to visit Samantha, who had drugged herself. Samantha reveals that Nadine is starting a new store, and that she is hiring a new girl. However, the new girl, Evelyne, turns out to be a disaster, wanting to arrange the products by colour rather than function, and eventually quits.

Meanwhile, Antoine's fiancé had followed him and seen him leave the store with Angèle. She goes to the store as a client, and confides to Angèle that her fiancé is seeing someone else, but she thinks he still loves her. Later, when Antoine takes Angèle shopping, Antoine's fiancé comes into the store; Angèle sees them together and thinks Antoine has betrayed her. She phones Antoine to tell her that she feels betrayed. To make amends, as Angèle is left to close the store on New Year's Eve, Antoine comes to the store with a present. It is a new dress. Antoine's fiancé sees this and comes into the store with a gun, but when she fires all she succeeds in hitting is the lights. As the sparks fly, Antoine and Angèle kiss each other.