Bullet Points: The Last Circus (2010)

A man could find himself scrolling endlessly through all of the streaming options out there in search for the perfect movie to watch. I know because I felt like I’ve done it. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve given up on Netflix and just how many dozens of movies are on my watchlist on Tubi. Still, it seems like I can never find the right movie to watch. Luckily, a few strategic follows on Twitter have given me a plethora of films that I have never heard of that look far more interesting than the ones the apps recommend. This one is thanks to @GenreFilmAddict and its a doozy.

Synopsis: A young trapeze artist must decide between her lust for Sergio, the Happy Clown, or her affection for Javier, the Sad Clown, both of whom are deeply disturbed.

• The Setting: A majority of the film takes place in the years following the Spanish Civil War. The opening, however, takes us to Madrid in 1937. A place where the Civil War had sucked all of the hope and cheer from. That is when we visit the circus for the first time and meet some clowns. The military forces its way into the event and then, at gunpoint, forces many of the adult males to join their 11th Division. The Colonel seems like a real madman but when they go into their first battle, it’s clear that he is definitely a madman.
• Killer Clowns from Spain: In what could easily be one of the more bizarre scenes I’ve seen in a while, a machete-wielding clown fights his way through line after of line of rife bearing soldiers. The man we have just met eventually gets apprehended and imprisoned. The important thing about him is that his young son Javier would become the protagonist of our film.

• It doesn’t get any less weird: Young Javier goes through some shit. His father is still imprisoned years after the war and a deadly attempt by Javier goes awry and ends in failure. One thing he does learn is that his father wants him to join the family business (clowning) but he wants him to be a sad clown instead of a happy one.

• Welcome to the circus: It’s 1973 now and Javier is all grown up. He joins the circus and we meet all sorts of new and “unique” characters. Sergio is the psychotic happy clown who draws in the clowns and his girlfriend Natalia becomes the the object of Javier’s lust. Sergio and Javier don’t exactly hit it off and we can quickly tell that there is going to be some conflict between the two.

• A Dangerous friendship: Javier and Natalia begin hanging out and going on pseudo-dates secretly. They both know that if Sergio found out he might kill them both. That is exactly what happens only he doesn’t kill them. He beats the shit out of Javier and puts him in the hospital. This is when the movie really starts to take a turn into the bizarre…
• The trumpet: Javier ends up on the run from everyone after he beats Sergio near to death with a small trumpet. The next 20 minutes or so of the movie are the kind that aren’t easily explained. I would suggest that you watch this film if you see the pictures in this post and they spark your interest. Most of the movie keeps you on your toes and I feel like me describing the scenes here will do nothing but make it less so .

• The Sad Clown: The world isn’t a happy or a funny place for Javier and his friends in the circus. The movie is full of struggles and it would be difficult for anyone who has seen this level of death and destruction to keep their sanity. As you might expect, the finale comes down to a confrontation between Sergio, the happy clown, and Javier the sad clown. Natalia is there as is always the case with these star-crossed lovers, and we’re left with just one more tragic situation to deal with as the film closes.

The Verdict: What a sad and tragic tale. I can’t fully comprehend what happened in this film and that’s a tough thing for someone trying to write a review for a movie. It’s certainly one of the more wild and crazy movies that I’ve seen in my life while at the same time being an incredible experience. Someone walked in while I was watching it and tried to figure out what was going on. It didn’t go so well and trying to fill him in on the plot wasn’t worth it. This is the type of film that needs to be watched from the beginning. To be experienced alongside the clowns and trapeze artists of the circus so we can share too in their sad lives. The Last Circus is currently streaming on Tubi and I couldn’t be more sure that you should watch it. It’s a masterpiece.