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1937, Spain is in the midst of the brutal Spanish Civil War. A "Happy" circus clown is interrupted mid-performance and forcibly recruited by a militia. Still in his costume, he is handed a machete and led into battle against National soldiers, where he single handedly massacres an entire platoon. Fast forward to 1973, the tail end of the Franco regime. Javier, the son of the clown, dreams of following in his father's career footsteps, but has seen too much tragedy in his life - he's simply not funny and is only equipped to play the role of the Sad Clown. He finds work in a circus where he befriends an outlandish cast of characters, but as the Sad Clown he must take the abuse of the brutish Happy Clown Sergio, who humiliates Javier daily in the name of entertainment. It is here that he meets Natalia, a gorgeous acrobat, and abused wife of Sergio. Javier falls deeply in love with Natalia and tries to rescue her from her cruel and violent husband, unleashing Sergio's jealousy. But Natalia is torn between her affection towards Javier and her lust for Sergio.With neither man willing to back down, this twisted love triangle evolves into a ferocious battle between Sad Clown and Happy Clown, escalating to unbelievable heights in this absurd, shocking, irreverent and unforgettable film.
 
DIRECTOR Alex DE LA IGLESIA
SCREENWRITER Alex DE LA IGELSIA
PRODUCER Gerardo HERRERO
Mariela BESUIEVSKY
CO-PRODUCER Franck RIBIERE
Verane FREDIANI
LINE PRODUCER Yousak BOKHARI
CASTING DIRECTOR Camila-Valentina ISOLA
EDITOR Kiko DE LA RICA
PRODUCTION DESIGNER Eduardo HIDALGO
COSTUME DESIGNER Paco DELGADO
MAKE-UP Jose QUETGLAS
COSTUME DESIGNER Nieves SANCHEZ
COMPOSER Roque BANOS
JAVIER Carlos ARECES
SERGIO Antonio DE LA TORRE
NATALIA Carolina BANG
COLONEL SALCEDO Sancho GRACIA
RING MASTER Juan Luis GALIARDO
ANDRES Enrique VILLÉN
RAMIRO Manuel TAFALLE
MASTER OF CEREMONIES Manuel TEJADA
SONSOLES Gracia OLAYO
FATHER STUPID CLOWN Santiago SEGURA
MILITIAN CAPTAIN Roberto ALAMO
CLOWN CLEVER Fofito
JAVIER (CHILD 1937) Sasha DI BENEDETTO
JAVIER (YOUNG 1943) Jorge CLEMENTE
CHILDREN’S MOTHER Juana CORDERO
MANUEL Luis VARELA
DOLORES Terele PAVEZ
NATIONAL SOLDIER Fran PEREA
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BRILLIANT,BIZARRE.DAZZLING AND UTTERLY DEMENTED. - Jeannette Catsoulis, NY Times
“STUNNING – with one of the nuttiest sequences to invade theatres this year.” Aaron Hillis, Village Voice
“If the idea of an unholy collaboration between Guillermo del Toro, Federico Fellini and William Castle appeals to you, PUT NEAR-MASTERPIECE THE LAST CIRCUS ON YOUR MUST-SEE LIST RIGHT NOW.” – Andrew O’Hehir, Salon
“TERRIFICALLY WEIRD – take Fellini, Tarantino and Taxi Driver and throw ‘em in a cage with a lion, and you’d get this strange, wild trip.” – Joe Neumaier, NY Daily News
“It has the making of a cult hit.” – V.A. Musetto, NY Post
“CULT STATUS IS ASSURED.” - Variety
“BRILLIANT. A GREAT FILM. A searing, intimate work riffing on Hitchcock, DePalma, Fellini, the Universal Monster films and German Expressionism.” - Harry Knowles, AICN
“A genre film par excellence, owing its inspiration to such sources as James Whale, Alfred Hitchcock, Tod Browning, King Kong and Pan’s Labyrinth” - Screen, Dan Fainaru
“The film is incredible. In the oldest sense of that word, it is awe-inspiring and grotesque. Stunning and heartfelt.” - Film School Rejects, Cole Abaius
“It’s my favorite film of Fantastic Fest and the big frontrunner for my favorite film of 2010. One of the most insane movies I’ve ever seen. 10 out of 10” – Chud, Jacob Hall
“Highly stylised and visually daring.” Robert Beames, OBSESSED WITH FILM
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