Just perfect...

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

A man decides to follow his Dad's footsteps and become a clown for a circus troupe. He is the sad clown who has no interest In making children happy. He hates kids. He soon develops a relationship with a clown's wife which turns everything upside down and begins a journey into madness.This is one trippy flick with over the top characters and loads of violence setting the necessary tone of a dark twisted comedy. It was the first time I seen a clown get ready by splashing acid on his face, then pressing a hot iron to each of his cheeks, burning a triangle to finish the look.This one is in Spanish so you will have to read it but well worth the watch. I got a Santa Sangre vibe from this flick.

My first reaction with my half Spanish was "es una pelicula loca y enferma". I am not sure if these phrases have the same meaning with "such a sick and crazy movie". I've just directly translated from English. However, I think that this story is one of a kind. Usually, in movies starring clowns have interesting topics and stream. They are not a sign of "fun" and "happines". On the contrary, they are the indicators of the emotions of horror and dread. They have psychological problems - this is what scriptwriters want to do: conflict among emotions. As an example, Joker is the most known clown character and also, the movie "It" of Stephen King supports my argument. However, I've never seen before such a love triangle that includes two "sick" clowns. I know that clowns usually kill people but this "sad clown" and "happy clown" conflict was created in an interesting atmosphere with enough support of filming details. That's another point that I loved about this movie, the usage of camera and lighting were in harmony with the situation. I totally recommend this movie as a Spanish learner and a Spanish movie lover.

I find it hard to believe that someone can come on here and do nothing but bash this film. People who claim to "have seen a lot of films", and people who "fought to hold their food down". Maybe these people have never felt the injustices of the world and the mental toll they can take on a person over time. When talking about the sudden and rapid shifts in tone and mood, I feel like I'm experiencing the same mental and emotional turmoil as these two clowns of destruction. Being reduced to the basic carnal behaviors of jealousy when fighting for the woman they love. Now the thing is, it's all being done in the sense of a black comedy. The hyper violence of the movie has a natural born killers approach to satire. The gore isn't important in the movie. It's just an added bonus to the types of people who would honestly enjoy this film to begin with. The true underlying message is the extremes people have gone to for the love of another person. Not the dialogue, not the violence, not the "fat sadistic clown". This movie is something that has never been done before, which is a plus right of the bat. It's not meant to be taken completely serious. If you feel it was just randomized crap with buckets of blood thrown in, then you missed the point, and this film wasn't meant for you. So please just sit down shut up and watch the movie

Alex De la Iglesia is an excellent Spanish director . He had much success as "Accion Mutante" , " El Dia De la Bestia" , "Perlita Durango" and ¨La Comunidad¨ , among others . De la Iglesia is back with a tragical comedy about two Spanish clowns of the 70s . Here deals with a homage to dark humor and Spanish history from the Civil War until the 7os . In the film there are comedy, tongue in cheek, humor, horror, action, drama and is pretty entertaining . It's an exaggerated drama/comedy giving the perfect tone through the entire film , you can either follow it or just wander about the ridiculousness of every single minute . Some may regard this kind of dramatic comedy dull or dumb , but the truth is its the most simple, minimalistic, rawest, and pretentious comedy you will ever watch . As the shy Javier (Carlos Areces) and the violent Sergio (Antonio De La Torre) are two clowns who reach the heights of success with their circus show , but eerie events and an acrobat woman (Carolina Bang , partner is director Alex De Iglesia) turning them into deadly enemies . However, the hate between them grows as fast, and as much, as their horrible faces . The picture blends thrills , suspense, tension as well as an intriguing script full of dark comedy , drama and exciting situations . Packed with scenes of absurd nature, this story is a fantastic farce, as we follow the ridiculous careers of a pair of clowns whose destination is dictated by a fateful love , rather than by their own decisions . The film works on various levels and is constantly reconfigured , however contains some embarrassing , contriving moments and also certain excess . Strong performance from three protagonists , Areces , Bang , De La Torre and excellent plethora of secondaries as Manuel Tejada , Gracia Olayo , Enrique Villen , Manuel Tallafe , all of them usual actors in ¨Pluton BRB Nero¨ series produced by Alex De Iglesia . Interesting screenplay Alex De La Iglesia who usually writes his films and bears remarkable resemblance to ¨Dying of laughter¨ or ¨Muertos de Risa¨ also with two comedians -Gran Wyoming and Santiago Segura , Alex's fetish actor- who reach the heights of success with their spectacle, becoming them into huge enemies . Atmospheric and dark cinematography by Kiko De La Rica with a good camera work . Suspenseful musical score by Roque Baños . The motion picture is well directed by De La Iglesia . He's a cool director has got much success as ¨Accion Mutante¨, ¨Crimen Ferpecto¨and ¨Oxford murders¨, and winner of several Goyas (Spanish Oscars), however his movies have not yet reached box office in USA, but he has strong followers . Nonsense, ridicule , laughters , absurdity , terror , disturbing scenes .. and many other issues ; you can find everything in this movie . The movie is a lot of fun, especially for those who know the historical period . This is without a doubt a thrilling and thought-provoking movie to be enjoyed for dark humor buffs and Alex De Iglesia fans.