Saw Santa Sangre, a weird weird film by Jodorowsky, creator of such weird-fests as Holy Mountain and El Topo. This one follows a boy magician who is the son of a knife-thrower and a religious cult leader/trapeze artist. He witnesses his mother's arms being cut off and becomes his mother's arms. This is played out via semi-grotesque vaudeville routines where the boy stands behind his armless mother as she smokes or eats or plays the piano.
The film is one of a fine tradition of Mexican psychodrama/horrors. It's not terribly horrific, but there's nonsensical armchair psychiatry explanations for the protagonist's actions and endless arm-related references. There's also a great abundance of Freudian symbolism. At one point the protagonist, face contorted with horror, pulls a boa constrictor out of his pants.
The film is more interested in weird imagery however. The trappings of the circus are used liberally, with mincing clowns, self-serious dwarves, and garish face-paint used to unsettle the viewer. It's not very scary or thrilling however and many times the film totally bogs down to focus in on some spectacle. The images are neat however, so it's worth a look, just don't put it into your midnight horror marathon. A strange, fun film full of strange, fun images!
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