Review of Santa Sangre (1989) by Jenna P — 04 Jan 2016

I adore this movie. The first hour is slow, but the second hour is dripping with gore, intrigue, serial murder, and complete insanity. It's marvelous. A young son of circus performers witnesses his father cut off his mother's arms (amazing shot btw) and slash his own throat. Then things really go off the rails.

SANTA SANGRE is definitely an art film with long scenes that seemingly don't serve the plot - or does it really have a plot? The movie could have a plot, as the main twist is fantastic and ripe for drama, but Jodorowsky fills the film with bizarre set pieces and characters, some of which have little bearing on the heart of the story. The cast includes some gems, including three of his sons and many actual carnival performers. It's also positively gorgeous and possibly beyond words.