The Last Circus 2011

As the tumultuous years of 1937 unfold, a troupe of performers finds themselves pawns in the brutal game of war. The enigmatic Funny Clown (Santiago Segura) unleashes a ferocious frenzy upon the Nationalist forces, wielding his trusty machete with deadly precision. Despite being wounded and disarmed, he takes down dozens of enemy troops before meeting his own demise at the hands of Colonel Salcedo’s (Sancho Gracia) merciless horse. The aftermath is marked by tragedy as the clown’s fellow troupe members meet their maker, while the Funny Clown himself is condemned to a life of forced labor at the imposing Valle de los Caídos monument.

Years later, in 1973, Javier (Carlos Areces), now a melancholic sad clown, pays homage to his father’s legacy by joining the same circus. His counterpart, the provocative and violent Funny Clown Sergio (Antonio de la Torre), is a self-proclaimed monster who confesses that without the confines of the circus, he would likely be a malevolent force wreaking havoc on society. As Javier becomes increasingly enamored with Natalia (Carolina Bang), the aerial acrobat, he finds himself entangled in a complicated web of emotions. Sergio’s volatile nature is revealed when he savagely beats Natalia unconscious after a night of heavy drinking and rage. Despite this, she confesses to Javier that she is inexplicably drawn to Sergio’s primal ferocity, and Javier is left grappling with his own moral compass as the darkness that surrounds him begins to seep into his very being.

As Sergio’s (actor name) gaze lingers suspiciously on Natalia, Javier’s peculiar charm as a sad clown begins to unravel, like the threads of a worn-out jester’s cloak. Natalia, meanwhile, has developed a fascination with Javier’s refusal to laugh at Sergio’s off-color jokes, perceiving it as a sign of his deep-seated emotional authenticity. Behind Sergio’s back, Natalia and Javier cultivate a forbidden romance, their stolen glances and tender moments punctuated by the thrill of secrecy. One fateful evening, under the twinkling lights of an amusement park, Natalia confesses her love for Javier, and they share a bittersweet kiss.

But Sergio’s wrath is swift and merciless. He appears out of nowhere, his face twisted in a snarl, and unleashes a savage beating on both Natalia and Javier, leaving them battered and bruised. Javier’s wounds prove severe enough to land him in the hospital, where he’s forced to confront the cruel reality of his situation. Natalia visits him, her words laced with regret and concern for Javier’s well-being, but also a determination to shield him from further harm.

As Javier recovers, his subconscious churns out a recurring nightmare, in which Sergio thwarts his desperate attempts to rescue Natalia from various predicaments. This recurring theme of frustration and helplessness drives Javier to the brink of madness. Eventually, he makes a daring escape from the hospital, driven by a burning desire for revenge against Sergio.

Javier’s quest takes him back to the circus, where he’s met with resistance from his former troupe members. Undeterred, he tracks down Sergio and Natalia, only to find them engaging in a torrid affair. Javier’s rage boils over, and he unleashes a brutal beating on Sergio, leaving him mangled and near death.

In the aftermath of this chaos, the circus is forced to shut down, its members scattering like autumn leaves in the wind. Natalia and some of the other performers find themselves bound for a nightclub, their talents honed under the harsh glare of stage lights.

Javier, meanwhile, descends into madness, his existence reduced to a primal struggle for survival. He dwells in the forest, a feral creature driven by instinct, living off the scraps he can scrounge from the land and its creatures. His transformation is nothing short of astonishing, as he’s captured by hunters, including the ruthless Salcedo.

Salcedo forces Javier to perform like a hunting dog, but ultimately intends to kill him. A turning point arrives when Javier bites Generalísimo Francisco Franco, one of Salcedo’s guests, and suffers the consequences in the form of imprisonment. It is here that Javier experiences a vision of Natalia, transfigured as the Virgin Mary, commanding him to become her Angel of Death.

Seizing upon this revelation, Javier sets about scarring his face with sodium hydroxide and a clothes iron, fashioning it into a grotesque clown’s visage. He dons a bishop-inspired costume and exacts a bloody revenge on Salcedo, shattering the chains that bound him. With his newfound freedom, Javier vanishes into the city, ready to unleash his wrath upon an unsuspecting world.

As Natalia’s fear of Sergio’s intentions reaches a boiling point, she readies herself to make a hasty exit from the nightclub. However, her escape plan is foiled by the simultaneous arrival of both Sergio and Javier, with the latter brandishing an arsenal of machine guns. Confronted by this dichotomy, Natalia makes the fateful decision to choose Sergio over Javier, and they depart together in their vehicle. Meanwhile, a futile attempt is made to apprehend Javier, who manages to escape with the assistance of some remaining troupe members.

Undeterred, Javier commandeers an ice cream truck and embarks on a pursuit of Natalia through the city’s streets. He seizes the opportunity presented by ETA’s successful attack on Admiral Carrero Blanco, Franco’s heir apparent, to kidnap Natalia. He then transports her to the Valle de los Caídos, a natural wonder carved from rock, where the circus had previously housed its animals before shutting down. There, Javier implores Natalia to love him for his intellect and physicality just as she once adored Sergio for his rough-around-the-edges charm. Initially, Natalia refuses, but eventually admits her affections have waned towards Sergio.

As these events unfold, Sergio learns of Javier’s hideout and decides to inform the military police, which has been searching for Javier in connection with a terrorist bombing. Accompanied by Sergio, the authorities launch an operation to apprehend Javier. In a surreal turn of events, Sergio dons his clown persona and chases Javier and Natalia through the imposing Monumental Cross at Valle de los Caídos – a visual homage to the iconic Mount Rushmore scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest.

Their pursuit culminates with the trio reaching the cross’s highest point, hundreds of feet above ground. As they teeter on the edge, Natalia confesses her love for Javier and attempts to escape with him, employing lengths of drapery to lower themselves safely to the ground. However, Sergio intervenes, prompting a fierce struggle between the two men.

Seizing an opportunity to save Javier, Natalia seizes Sergio’s leg with the drapery and leaps from the ledge, dragging Sergio with her. Tragically, Natalia’s body is subjected to immense strain as the drapery tautens around her waist, resulting in a fatal snap of her spine.

Following this calamitous event, the authorities take both Sergio and Javier into custody. As they sit facing one another, the Comedic Clown and the Melancholic Clown are overcome with grief, their tears flowing so profusely that it appears they are laughing uncontrollably.