The Dance of Reality

The Dance of Reality

Starring Brontis Jodorowsky, Pamela Flores, Jeremias Herskovits, Alejandro Jodorowsky

Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky

Synopsis:
Alejandro Jodorowsky (Jeremias Herskovits) is growing up in a small Chilean city with his Opra-singing mother Sara (Pamela Flores) and Stalin-worshiping father Jaime (Brontis Jodorowsky), who is also Jewish.  Jaime, a tyrannical father figure, wants to turn Alejandro into a man by cutting his long hair, teaching him tolerance of pain, and looking down on the less priveledged.

Then there's a conspiracy to assassinate right-wing president Carlos Ibáñez which Jaime oversees, going undercover and becoming a groom to the president's horse.  However, as the opportunity arises, his hands are inexplicably struck with paralysis, and he is forced to live among the people he once criticized.  After being tortured by Nazis, he gains a newfound respect for humanity and a desire to get back home to his long-suffering wife and young son.

Review:
Prolific director Alejandro Jodorowsky ("Santa Sangre," "The Holy Mountain") has only directed eight films since 1957, but each one has had a resounding impact on society.  His pseudo-autobiographical film "The Dance of Reality" is his return to directing since "The Rainbow Thief" in 1990, and once again it showcases his delicate brilliance of bringing thought-provoking themes to life.

The symbolism in the film resonates from the beginning to end, often with dazzling colorful backdrops such as a carnival or a group of amputees, which tells an underlying tale of social transvestism.  Jaime is seen as someone who his trying to hide his Jewish heritage through his love of Stalin and teaching his son to not feel, and how the mother teaches her son to "hide" his Jewish ancestry and become "invisible" to those around him.  Jodorowsky also skews the emphatic figure, first making Jaime into a seemingly heartless villain, only to turn the script and make him out to be an anti-hero that you root for.

The film is very unflinching in its premise, and it doesn't shy away from showing the full effects of depravity.  This is what I appreciate about international films.  Unlike American films, they don't run from showing scenes that most Americans would find offensive or detestable, but goes full tilt to give the viewers a darker insight into the human psyche, and gives images that are not soon easy to forget.

Summary:
Jodorowsky's story, blending his own history with metaphor, mythology and poetry, shows the audience that often reality isn't objective but rather a tale created by our own imagination.

My Rating: A