Strange Circus

I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to think about this film. It’s too theatrical, hysterical and… Asian for my taste, but that thing that looks like a twist (and I write “looks like” because this film is narrated in an almost Lynch-like confusing manner, so I’m not sure I really got it) was quite thrilling. The overall insanity, on the other hand, is too annoying to be shocking (or entertaining). It’s certainly interesting, but as an experience it was nothing extraordinary. (29/04/2011)

Shion Sono shows that he is certainly an interesting creator, although I prefer his film Suicide Club a bit more. Strange Circus is a film that simply won't appeal to everyone, which isn't that unusual. However, if you do like the film, you might not even be able to articulate exactly what appealed to you so much about it. I personally took away one thought from this film: Aren't our lives more insane than any circus? (02/02/2014)

I don't really have much to compare it to, as this (very hard to define) genre has successfully eluded me thus far, but that will probably change after a nutritious inhalation of Sion Son's work ;) Suicide Club probably suited me a bit more, especially since it had a (basically) clear concept and a VERY unambiguous climax. Strange Circus is a bizarre, allegorical, psyched-out spectacle that probably impresses most with its imaginative stylization (the circus setting and central interior are handled very impressively). The branching narrative, which escalates to its sixth in the end, interested me only in its individual parts. Maybe it's because I didn't fully absorb it ;) (05/05/2011)