Mad Circus - A Ballad of Love and Death

As a young boy, Javier (Carlos Areces) had to witness his father, the Silly Clown in a traveling circus, being captured and executed by Franco's henchmen amidst the turmoil of the Spanish Civil War. Now, over thirty years later, Javier tries his hand at clowning himself to live up to his father's memory. As the Sad Clown, he joins a very flamboyant troupe whose star is the Funny Clown Sergio (Antonio De La Torre). However, while all the kids love Sergio, he is rather feared by his colleagues due to his tantrums and sadistic streak. When Javier falls in love with Sergio's girlfriend, the beautiful performer Natalia (Carolina Bang), of all people, he is not the only one heading for his ultimate undoing.

Mad Circus is a film that is difficult to pigeonhole. Elements of romantic drama alternate with surreal allegories to the Franco era, while the whole thing is complemented by extremely gory horror interludes. Even if the summary of the content hardly suggests it, Alex De La Iglesias' work is undoubtedly one of the most bizarre and unusual films of the year. Yet the quirky concoction works on several levels at once.

Those who know a little about Spanish political history will clearly recognize the symbolism De la Iglesias expresses in his characters. For the director, the evil clown Sergio represents Franco's dictatorship, while Javier is a symbol of resistance. The sensual Natalia, on the other hand, who allows herself to be downright tortured by Sergio at times, but still feels love and passion for him, embodies the masochism of this country that still cannot recover from its history.

However, even though the film seems inextricably linked to the history of Spain, it works even if the necessary political and historical knowledge is lacking. This is because the director really revels in his quirky characters and the sometimes very macabre showmanship. For example, when Javier's father fights Franco's soldiers in a very brutal way in the opening sequence, or when his son shows what you should never use irons for, it's so over-the-top brutal that you don't turn away in disgust, but laugh a little in disbelief and shock. And just when you think it can't get any more twisted or violent, Alex De La Iglesias kicks it up a notch.

The great feat is that Mad Circus is neither a heavy-handed orgy of violence or a mindless slaughter platter, nor a completely over-the-top grindhouse-style B-movie. Visually, the film plays in the premier league and has some terrific shots to offer that don't exactly make the work look cheap. Plus, hidden behind the gory and weird moments is a very cleverly constructed story that make Mad Circus much more than a somewhat unusual horror film.

Who likes it bloody, bizarre, original, wacky but still intelligent, should not miss this arthouse horror. Because one thing is for sure: here you get to see things that are so rarely or not at all in the cinema. But you better not be squeamish or easily shocked. Worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp