Black Apollo replaces black Venus. The new film by Markus Schleinzer (loud Michael, 11. NH) reconstructs the state of mind of enlightened 18th-century Europeans who believe in science, art and progress. Only that blind faith allows them to turn a blind eye to human trafficking, cruel freak shows or racism. The main character, black Angelo, goes to white aristocrats who want to "make a man of him". So he learns how to recite in French, wear an elegant dress and play the flute, in which he achieves mastery. However, the boy quickly exceeds the tolerance limits of men and women from the elite. He is taken off the stage. Maturing alone, trying to understand his fate, the scholarly debate intends to change the views of the powerful. The son of Africa and husband of Europe soon finds loved ones, trying to live on their own terms. The wonderfully staged film, shown at festivals in San Sebastián and Toronto, presents the court as a theater, and proficiency in playing its role as a terrifying mechanism of survival. It's a world that mummifies and encloses otherness in a museum display case. The only rescue is the fire.