Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

How sad is this?

Absolutely Fantastic

A different way of telling a story

When i saw Suicide Club for the first time i knew Sion Sono would come to be a director i would look out for, and with Strange Circus he delivers, that's not to say that you will automatically like this one if you loved suicide club, because this is is something different.If suicide club was his pitch black pulpy look at Japanese culture, this is his nightmarish avant garde look on a dysfunctional family. This is art-house the way it should be, confrontational, engaging and intelligent.This is at some points extremely unwatchable as it deals with themes such as incest, but the way it is portrayed is absolutely stylish but still jaw droppingly tense.It reminded me of David Lynch and Alejandro Jorodowsky because of the dreamlike sequences and the constant pondering on what is real and what isn't.This movie is shot beautifully, even Kubrick came to mind at some scenes. Without spoiling anything i can say that this movie is very open to interpretation and it works and many levels.I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes deeply psychological drama, horror and art-house combined), but a warning, this is not for the faint of heart and i can really understand why people would condemn this film as perverted trash (such as people will condemn Lars Von Triers Antichrist), although i genuinely think that anyone with a love for cinema would grasp the deeper things this movie has to offer and will enjoy the beauty in this nightmarish vision.

This is a very fine and brave film but so extreme and at times confusing that it lost me at times. I see the film has won awards in Montreal and Berlin but I can safely say that it could not even be shown legally in the UK. Even apart from the extended sequences of implied and actual child sex abuse the degree of violence, especially when shown in a sexual context would have the jolly BBFC boys in somewhat of a lather. With all the effort put in by the director and leading actress, Masumi Miyazaki, who is sensational in her roles, it is a shame that the resulting film is not more coherent. Possibly it is because the material is so extreme that I tended to distance myself a little and thereby lose the plot a little, but only a second viewing will settle that one and I'm not up to that right now!

This plays like an unearthed Nikkatsu shocker from the early 80's. Sion Sono, the director of "Suicide Club", has thrown his ero-gro hat into the ring and delivered a very impressive, incendiary shocker that blends Norifumi Suzuki with David Lynch. A twelve year old girl (Rie Kuwana) is being sexually abused by her monstrous father (Issei Ishida) and forced to watch her parents screw while locked inside a cello case. As the abuse intensifies, the girl copes with it by mentally becoming her mother. At the same time, the man's wife (Masumi Miyazaki) is becoming insanely jealous of the girl and has started to abuse her, too. This simple set-up is merely the launching pad for an operatic, grotesque, confronting shocker. The "strange circus" of the title is literal and metaphorical. There is a burlesque-style club where an MC introduces the film's major characters; there is also a wild sexual circus happening in the abused girl's home after her mother mysteriously bows out. "Strange Circus" is confusing at times and a little too clever for its own good, but it is a true sexual horror film that goes places few films do. It has a score and tone that reminded me of Norifumi Suzuki's masterpiece, "Beautiful Girl Hunter", and Sono contrasts grisly depravity with great beauty. The film won me over and I'm jaded as hell.

I knew absolutely nothing going into this flick. I was recommended this movie by a friend who has some unique tastes in movies. I tend to enjoy everything he likes, so I decided to blind buy this and give it a shot. What followed was a movie that's bizarre, extreme, and kind of confusing.Strange Circus starts out as a story about a quiet young girl named Mitsuko. One day she hears some strange noise coming from her parents room. Curiosity gets the better of her and she witnesses them having sex. Her Dad catches her in the act and from that moment this movie gets really crazy. I'd rather not tell you what follows, but it's definitely not for the average movie-goer. At some points Strange Circus gets pretty confusing, you are led to question who's who and what's happening. By the end of the movie many things have risen to the surface, but there are still aspects to ponder about. Which is rare these days, there aren't many movies when the credits are almost done rolling and you're still sitting there thinking about what just happened. Personally I appreciate when movies do this. It's not frustratingly challenging, but it definitely will keep you up a little longer.Strange Circus was extremely well acted, well directed (same director as Suicide Club) and well told. It's also sick, perverted and down right screwy. If you're into extreme movies, Japanese movies, challenging movies, or just looking for something different, give this baby a shot. 8.5 outta 10