Review of The Last Circus (2010) by Ken T — 06 Mar 2013

This film feels in some places as though de la Igesia thought it might be his last. He throws in several riffs on his own previous films (particularly the superior Dying of Laughter), and incorporates many of his previously well-trodden tropes - scarring, descent into mania, extravagant modes of dress, the 70's, and so on.

The film's single greatest mistake, however, is in making all three leads fairly repellent people, and substituting the tongue-in-cheek black humour of his previous successes for straight sadism and dislike of his main characters. We don't root for anyone, and the miserable ending offers no respite either.

If there is allegory for de la Iglesia's country in here, then I feel genuinely sorry for the Spaniards.