La Danse de la réalité

As a fan of Jodorowsky's earlier films, I was very interested in how the new one would compare. La Danza de la Realidad follows Alejandro Jodorowsky's childhood in Tocopilla, Chile. His tyrannical father is played by his son Brontis, previously seen as El Topo's son. The film begins focusing on Jodorowsky as a kid, then shifts more toward his father. Alejandro Jodorowsky also appears on screen, as himself. A scene I particularly enjoyed was the meeting of the local communists. The digital photography is also very well done. I won't give anything away; you should see it for yourself. This film is one of his best. If you like Jodorowsky, go see it.

if art imitates life, and such is film, then fu'k cinema, for this is a masterpiece. not in film nor art, but in true life, reality, for perspective and our various lives, are variously different and simliar upon existential standpoints. La danza de la realidad, is not cinema, it is an account, a story, in which i truly believe, should, but never will be the inherent future of cinema, such is reality, suffering, misfortune and in my argued opinion -( a term that should be banished from history), a triumph in misfortune, however, synical as my review is, if one could deem it that, is unplaced upon happiness, for it pains my heart, that Snr Jodorowsky is of age, upon which i shall never grace his presence, nor mine, his kin however, i shall strategise to converge a moment in my life, for such cinema is my passion, and i shall see to it, that a legacy, spawned upon true film makers such as jadorowsky, among others, shall proceed, forth unto my lifes constant endeavors. i advise all, worth advising, to view this film, with the heart, soul, suffering, and the ability to believe in the destruction of an indifferent afterlife. forgive my spelling, for what are words if not mere communication. thank you. and may your universe guide you forever unto eternity...

Jodorowsky is back in full swing and has certainly learned from his previous films. It is on par with the weirdness of holy mountain and has a somewhat coherent narrative at the same time without the pacing ever slowing down and managing to keep it to 2 hours long.

He creates a metaphorical world where we follow a young Jodrowsky and his father full of bright colours and some very quirky characters. There are his signature marks of male and female nudity bizarre imagery and amputees. I can't help but feel the film was more about his father growing up than about Jodrowsky as his father changes from the macho- Stalin worshipping God denying homophobic hypocrite to a broken god fearing hero of the people. Along with that we some real nice cinematography and is overall a great film it is not by any means for the casual movie goer as they would be repulsed by some of what goes on in this film.

Alejandro Jodorowsky - a living legend. That may be in part in his mind, but his status as a cult icon has been around for decades; when you make El Topo, The Holy Mountain, Santa Sangre, and have a whole side-line of comic books, "Magic Therapy" sessions (seriously, if you get the blu-ray he advertises it in the liner notes), and of course the legend of the insane achievement that was his adaptation-that-wasn't of Herbert's Dune, it's bound to happen.

He also always appears in interviews with an infectious, joyful personality even when he talks about very serious things like art and living and good life and being screwed over in the movie industry (see Jodorowsky's Dune for more on that). But here, he gets to return as a filmmaker, after an absence of decades, and the results? An overused word is appropriate here: fantastic.

The Dance of Reality is Jodorowsky's (for him) straight-forward look at what it was like for himself, and his father Jaime, to go through the late 1930's in Chile - but in the only way that Jodorowsky can as one of the last old-school surrealists (by this I mean he could pal around with Salvador Dali like it was nothing). The movie might appear to be two movies: the first half more-so considers how rough things were for poor little 'Alejandrito', especially under rather Jaime Jodorowsky's strict "Be a Man" philosophy of parenting (and, of course, Jodorowsky cast his son, Brontis, to play his father, and the director appears as "himself" in certain parts). The boy has long locks of golden hair, and these get cut off (rather, the wig comes off!) and the boy has to deal with being tickled - "Don't laugh!" - slapped, dentistry without anesthesia, and being picked on by fellow boys for being Jewish.

The movie might appear to be all about the kid from the first half... but then Jodorowsky does something really interesting - though it's bound to split audiences - as he really follows the father in the second half (with a couple of trips back to the son, and the mother Sara who sings every one of her lines of dialog). It's both the son AND the father's story in Dance of Reality, and it's touching how the director charts what is kind of a tale of humbling for this father character as he tries, as the staunch anti-dictator Stalin-supporting Communist he is, to kill the ruler of Chile Ibanez, and fails, and goes through many trials and tribulations.

Often, we see, with his hands curled in a permanent state of vegetation! Dance of Reality is filled with heart and passion, and what's great about it is how much the director doesn't cheat any of the emotions. Another filmmaker, maybe one more self-conscious or ironic, might play for a wink some of these scenes where the mother talk-sings in her operatic tones and the father beats the boy or the town-folk go about in their crazy ways (sometimes with masks, sometimes it's amputees up in arms, pun intended), or the clowns or lepers or other freaks who the director loves to see on screen.

Jodorowsky doesn't play like that; for him, this is all magical realism, surrealism, any-kind-of-WTF-ism you want, but it's not something that is taken precisely as a goof, if that makes sense. Yet it's that which makes many scenes delirious, and deliriously funny. The cure for leprosy, for example, is a howler of a scene, even (or because) as it doesn't make logical sense.

Sense? Hey, it's this filmmaker, why not go along for the ride? And it's actually more straightforward and stream-lined than the acid-trip fever dreams of his early/notorious midnight movie work. Here, it's more reflective - it's hard not to compare of course to it's cousin, Fellini's Amarcord, also in the 1930's, about fascism, and big breasts. But I'll continue returning to this film if only for its love of filmmaking, of bringing great big colors on the screen - I don't know how the color timing worked or how much was used, but every color here is vibrant and alive, as if the director were still remembering this like it was today, and it feels that way - and how much the family unit it explored without full-on cynicism. You can look at this father-mother-son and they have their problems and issues (putting it lightly), but... they're real and painful and experience pain and the horrors of society, and persevere.

This is a powerful work of brazen, uncompromising, funny-sad-strange-illuminating art for those open to the experience.

Actually, "Dance Of Reality" is the first Jodorowsky film that i watched and i am speechless or i should say absorbed completely by his mesmerizing cinema. I don't know why but i was teary during some scenes even though they had no resemblance to my life. The metaphors he used, the symbolism or allegoric substances he portrayed throughout his film are phenomenal and top notch. This director is insane but amazing, every scene sings a new song and has multiple interpretations. Its not a film that i would recommend to anyone but for those who have a taste for good but weird cinema, give it a try you will not be disappointed. Direction is perfect, background score is superb. Performances are breathtaking. However some video effects were not that good but since it's a art film, one could neglect that aspect.

Watch it, understand it, feel it. After all its Jodorowsky's Cinema. Brutal, surreal, funny and satirical. 10 out of 10