Day 2

The Last Circus (2010)

Directed by Alex de la Iglesia

Following in the footsteps of his father, sad clown Javier joins up with a down on its luck circus but quickly finds himself wrapped up in a toxic relationship between the brutish and domineering Sergio and the masochistic Natalia. Part Spanish Civil War-Era political satire and part twisted love triangle between 2 circus clowns and a seductive acrobat, The Last Circus manages to weave a darkly comic tale about the absurdity of government and organized religion while at the same time offering commentary on the connection between humor and violence. This was not what we were expecting, but as soon as we realized what direction this was going we were 100% here for it.

The narrative stretches over a course of decades without seeming flabby or indulging in unnecessary detail, a feat that is helped by the fairy-tale nature of much of the story. Everyone seems larger than life, as much a metaphor or allegory for people as they are fully fleshed out characters. But the beauty of it is that all the characters do feel like real people with realistic wants, needs, and struggles and are all trying to make sense of an insane world. It’s very human, and a clever way to make a satire about a specific point in time applicable to the general human experience. It’s funny, it’s tragic, it’s absurdly violent, it’s as close to a perfect satire of the absurdity of life as I’ve ever seen. Strongly recommended.