The Last Circus

It’s hard to describe director Alex De La Iglesia’s “The Last Circus” (2010). In simple terms, one can call it a story of obsessive love. But on the other hand, there is a lot going in the film that makes it a bit more complex to describe. We have two circus clowns who are emotionally unbalanced and have psychological problems, and everything they do in real life is contradictory to their professional display. In fact, the term “clown” or “joker” or “jokester” serves as a metaphor for bland platitudes in the lives of the film’s characters. Jokers are supposed to be happy people, or at least that is the impression the world gets about jokers. They entertain even in tough times, and again, at least, on the surface, they are a nice group of people.  This, however, is not true for the jokers in “The Last Circus” who are nothing but bizarre and psychotic. Above all, these jokers are dressed in heavy, unusual outfits, with one joker completely armed with machine guns and loaded with a stack of machine gun links.

The film opens up with a fast-paced shoot-out sequence, filmed against the backdrop of Franco’s fascist regime. We see a joker killing an entire battalion with a machete, and Franco’s men soon capture him. A jolt of violence in the opening sequence shakes us. Using slow-motion techniques, the scene has grotesque violence, flying limbs, and corpses everywhere; and in spite of the bloody sight of the shoot-out, it’s a gorgeously filmed sequence. Surely, in the opening minutes, director Iglesia weighs heavily on style and over-the-top violence, which infuses a unique visual touch to the entire film.

The plot circles around the lives of three characters: Javier (Carlos Areces), Natalia (Carolina Bang), and Sergio (Antonio de la Torre). Javier’s father, who was a circus clown himself, tells Javier to always play as a sad joker. At this point, we learn a distinction between a “sad” clown and a “happy” clown. According to Javier’s father, a “sad” joker has seen death and violence since childhood, and playing a “happy” clown would be a complete failure. This is true for Javier who has seen so much violence around him that it, in fact, shapes his identity a few years later. The first act develops Javier’s character, working in a circus as the “Sad” clown, and Sergio humiliates Javier on a daily basis during performances. Javier falls for the beautiful Natalia, but she is married to an abusive Sergio, who suspects that Natalia will leave him for Javier. In the second act, we see Javier’s transformation from a soft, scared person to that of a murdering rebel. He escapes from the circus and lives in a jungle, where a General from the past captures him. The final act brings all the desperate characters together and will decide the fate of their love.

All the characters are double-faced. “The Last Circus” symbolizes many things through its characters: violence, death and sex, are vital components of these characters. As clowns, these characters are mentally unbalanced. Sergio is a violent person who sexually and physically abuses Natalia whenever he is angry and drunk. One moment he is happy and the next he is a monster. In the circus, he is overly aggressive to everyone around him. He becomes jealous when he finds out about Natalia and Javier’s friendship. The quiet guy, Javier, initially is seen as a sensitive and emotionally caring person, but his rapid transformation in the light of his childhood and professional violence is at least plausible, and, it nonetheless, makes the film hyperkinetic. Becasue Javier is the central character, the script invests heavily in developing his character: the jungle, his love for Natalia, and his exchanges with Sergio form elements for Javier’s alteration. Initially lethargic, Javier explodes like dynamite in the third act, and his exposition with guns shifts the movie in entirely unpredictable direction. Finally, Natalia is trapped in an abusive relationship with Sergio and in the lifeless circus. But as Natalia discusses her life with the circus owner, she realizes that she can do better in the circumstances, but decides not to.

There is one remarkable scene in which we get a complete picture of the qualities of these characters. In this scene, Sergio viciously hits Natalia in a restaurant and then walks away, leaving Natalia with a bleeding nose. Natalia doesn’t even defend herself, and instead she swallows all the pain. Moments later, Javier comes to help Natalia, but Sergio walks in, feeling the guilt of treating Natalia badly in front of everyone. But this time Sergio and Natalia have an intense sex session outside the restaurant, with a lot of flesh pounding on a windowpane. Javier, who is on the other side of the wall, thinks that Sergio is again hitting Natalia, but he doesn’t realize they are having sex.  In this moment, we witness an abuser, a victim and a passive-aggressive person. Indeed, this moment is the starting point for Javier’s transformation.

Director Iglesia heavily uses style, starting with an unforgettable opening shot. Without a doubt, “The Last Circus” is a visual tapestry, featuring a number of visually splendid moments that are compositionally brilliant, and, indeed, Rica’s cinematography is a shinning aspect of the film. Javier’s hallucination in a hospital captures his love for Natalia and the extremes to which he can go. In one of the most-beautiful scenes in the climax, we see Natalia wrapped in a red dress, her body appearing like a spinning top. In fact, the entire sequence feels as if Natalia is a whirling dancer, singing to a waltz tune. Surely, Javier and Sergio have composed a deadly tune for Natalia, a tune that has no happy outcome. The beasts, Javier and Sergio, are out to get the beauty, Natalia, irrespective of the consequences. It’s a lyrical scene that aptly represents that love cannot be conquered by madness and violence.

Nevertheless, in spite being visually engaging, I found “The Last Circus” too pulpy for my taste. There is plenty of style and substance, but the story feels too contrived and cartoonish. Maybe that was the intent. The performances are decent, too, especially Bang’s exemplary performance capturing Natalia’s state rather convincingly. At times, I felt the performances of Torre and Areces were a bit over the top, mainly after both the characters transformed to monster-like personalities. In the end, “The Last Circus” is a weird movie, featuring creative set designs and marvelous images, even when the story falters. The film needs to be seen only for its artistic merit.

Video:

Magnolia presents “The Last Circus” in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded utilizing an AVC codec. Shot digitally, the 1080p transfer is visually stunning, just like the film. The colors are bright and vivid, and the film’s palette perfectly switches between the wartime sequences and the present time. The detail is superb, and sharpness is consistent throughout. The close-ups have remarkable detail, with realistic skin tones.  

Audio:

Magnolia has included a thunderous lossless Spanish 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track for this release. The track sonically captures the film’s theme. The dialogue is crisp and clear for the entire duration. The atmospheric noises in the jungle realistically capture the nighttime ambience of a jungle. In the action sequences, the bullets are loud and heavy, mixed with appropriate bass. The rear channels are also triggered, and that results in an engaging audio experience. Also, the movie can be viewed with English subtitles.

Extras:

First, we get a regular “making-of” featurette in which the cast discuss their characters. They talk about their working relationship with director Iglesia and his style. Iglesia discusses Natalia’s character and the movie’s theme. Following this, there is a set of behind-the-scenes segments. Up next, a visual effects featurette shows the crew shooting several scenes for the film. Finally, there are theatrical and international trailers.

Parting Thoughts:

Packed with violence and style, “The Last Circus” is a wild ride worth taking only for its visual appeal. This is a beautifully shot film, featuring good performances, but the weak story never uplifts it beyond the visual splendor.