I’m Your Venus (2025) Movie Review & Summary

I’m Your Venus, in focusing on Paris Is Burning star, Venus Pellagatti Xtravaganza, acts as a companion piece to get to know the legendary figure better and gain a three-dimensional version of her story.

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted on Hours Updated on

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

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“I’m Your Venus” Film Details

  • Runtime: 1 Hour(s) and 25 Minutes
  • Released On: Netflix
  • Public Release Date: June 23, 2025
  • Director(s): Kimberly Reed
  • Primary Language: English
  • Genre(s): Documentary, Historical, LGBT
  • Rating: Rated TV-MA
  • Distributor: Netflix

Summary

Venus Xtravaganza, one of the most quoted and known figures from the legendary film Paris Is Burning, is revived in I’m Your Venus through their brothers and the modern House of Xtravaganza as they seek answers regarding her death and seek a way to honor her legacy by having all their official documentation reflect not only them being a Xtravaganza but always and forever also a Pellagatti.

What To Expect In “I’m Your Venus” (Rated TV-MA) – Content Overview

  • Dialog:
    • Cursing: Occasional
    • Discriminatory Language: Rare
    • Discussion About Venus’ Final Moments
  • Violence: Nothing Shown In Documentary
  • Sexual Content: Nothing Notable
  • Miscellaneous:
    • How Emotional: You Might Get Teary-Eyed

Links

Review and Commentary

Highlight(s)

They Avoid Deadnaming Everybody [83/100]

The most respectful thing you see throughout the entire film is that, whether it is Venus or her sister in Xtravaganza, when it comes to names assigned at birth, they are blurred, censored, or completely omitted. This felt like it set the tone for this documentary that, even though there are a handful of things which may shock you, generally speaking, I’m Your Venus wanted to live up to its name and give people the icon.

Recognizing Venus Is More Than A Few Catchphrases But Also A Person and Icon [84/100]

Having both Venus’ house and her brothers work together on the documentary was a masterful decision. Her brothers, speaking of her as their sister, which she is, allowed us to understand and see Venus before the cameras rolled on Paris Is Burning and gave us the person who both loved them and yet sometimes didn’t feel loved by them as they wanted or needed.

Then, on the flip side, while only one person from the House of Xtravaganza who knew Venus is featured, you can’t deny her impact. Her depiction of freedom, sass, hearing her dreams, and the work she was making towards them was inspirational. And while, yes, Venus may not have gotten to walk the runway in Paris, her existence, her verbalizing such a dream, gave others the permission, the belief they could do it, and they did.

Now, to be clear, there is a part or two when they push the idea that, as great and funny Venus was, she was flawed. There is an accusation that she did crack and a few other things. But, it is never dwelt on to the point of trying to humble the persona. It’s just presented as a matter of fact that someone so great did have bad habits. The kind that may not have ended her life, but are part of her story.

Seeing Her Brothers Take On Some Of The Responsibility Which Drove Her To A House [85/100]

When someone joins a house, especially people part of the LGBT+ community, there is the expectation it is because of some form of rejection from their birth family, and while the brothers are careful in what they say, there is some admittance, especially from Venus’ eldest brother, things weren’t handled the best way.

Whether it was some sense of privately accepting her, but not wanting the public association, or the parents who seemed so wrapped up in what was going on in their lives, they weren’t able to dedicate themselves to what their kids needed, especially Venus. There is just enough of an admittance of guilt to where you can say there is a level of accountability there to say this isn’t about ego. This isn’t about creating a curated defense about what they did or didn’t do, but being honest that they should have done better, and if they did, maybe life would have been different.

It leaves everything with a solemn lens as you see them try to atone after death, in the way they couldn’t reconcile when Venus was still alive.

Understanding The Importance of Documentaries [87/100]

While we will sit with a YouTube video that is half an hour to an hour, when it comes to documentaries you have to pay for, even if it is just by having a subscription for a company like Netflix, we honestly don’t watch or cover them enough. Yet, it is in watching I’m Your Venus that I’m reminded why this documentary, Wildflower, and I Didn’t See You There matter.

Often, when we watch films and shows, we get “Based On A True Story,” but we don’t know the true story since most have to take creative liberties. And while you can still get a level of representation, inspiration, and feeling seen, it is through the lens of someone who might be familiar with the subject, maybe studied them and grown close, but it is still ultimately their perspective, and you are falling for a character they made.

I’m Your Venus reminds you of why hearing and seeing the person speak for themselves matters. It is easy to read a headline, get someone’s take, and have a multitude of perspectives from the positive to negative, but seeing Venus, even if primarily through the lens provided via Paris Is Burning, felt special. It helps those like her house sister, Amara, feel like they aren’t the first, they aren’t the last, and even if Venus isn’t speaking to her directly, she is speaking for her, about her, and there is an ability to personalize that experience.

Never mind, for Venus’ brothers, this documentary, and Paris Is Burning, allow them to see Venus beyond what she may have felt comfortable or allowed them to see. Be it the balls, members of her house, or those who, as a trans woman, could force them to reckon with, maybe before they were ready, who she was, and part of their influence on that.

Overall

Our Rating (85/100): Positive (Worth Seeing) – Recommended

We missed the opportunity to see I’m Your Venus when it premiered almost a year ago at the Tribeca Film Festival, and have been kicking ourselves ever since. But, we’re thankful not only that the wait was worth it, but what the team behind I’m Your Venus presented. It is honest without trying to break apart Venus into pieces. It acknowledges the tragic end but also the iconic life that continues to inspire others, generations away from Venus being with us on this Earth.

What I’m Your Venus does is not only remind the world Venus Pellagatti Xtravaganze mattered, but go beyond telling you why. In exploring not just how she died but how she lived, and then showing you those inspired by her, it is a reminder that she is not the type of icon who is an exception, but a proof of what is possible, what is real, and what can ultimately be obtainable.

For even if Venus didn’t get what she verbalized in her lifetime, so many, through seeing her, hearing her, and knowing they are like her, felt it could be possible and like many who live in marginalized communities, they wanted to not only break glass ceilings but honor those whose dreams got cut short so, in some way, they can share with them that gestating reality.

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Amari is the founder and head writer of Wherever-I-Look.com and has been writing reviews since 2010, with a focus on dramas and comedies.