Film #116: THE LAST CIRCUS (aka BALADA TRISTE DE TROMPETA)

The Last Circus (aka Balada Triste de Trompeta)
5 out of 5 stars
A repeat viewing (because I dearly love this film). The great Alex de la Iglesia returns to fine form with this tale of love, violence, obsession, and clowns. Visually arresting and decidedly weird, de la Iglesia paints a portrait so stunningly odd and disturbing that it rivets the viewer immediately . Comparisons to Jodorowsky’s SANTA SANGRE are inevitable, but apt only in the most superficial manner. If you liked this filmmakers early work (specifically films like ACCION MUTANTE or EL DIA DE LA BESTIA), then you will eat this up. DARKLY funny and at times heartbreaking, CIRCUS is unlike anything you’ve seen lately. I mean, visually, there are shots here that are completely breathtaking. Not since Shion Sono’s COLD FISH have I loved a film to this extreme. Forget de la Iglesia’s recent films like OXFORD MURDERS, this is a gifted director plumbing a patch of ground he knows VERY well and the results are an absolute delight. HIGHLY recommended!