Last Circus, The

Set in both the brutal Spanish Civil War and the tail end of the Franco regime, The Last Circus follows Javier (Areces), a second-generation clown who dreams to follow in his father's footsteps as a Happy Clown but has seen too much tragedy and suffering in his life to be anything but its counterpart. 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 (de la Torre), who humiliates Javier daily in the name of entertainment. Included in the menage is Natalia (Bang), a gorgeous acrobat and abused wife of Sergio. Javier quickly falls deeply in love with her and attempts to rescue her from her tyrannical Happy Clown husband. However, Natalia is torn between her affection for Javier and her violent lust for Sergio. (Gary Reber)