Set in Rome in the waning years of World War II, a travelling circus is at the centre of a German attack, leaving four performers and their ringmaster displaced. Israel (Giorgio Tirabassi), the MC and spiritual father, wants to escape to the US (even more imperative as he is Jewish), while Fulvio (Claudio Santamaria), a strongman covered from head to toe in hair, wants to join the Circus Berlin, which Franz (Franz Rogowski) runs. Unbeknownst to the group, six-fingered pianist Franz has the power to see the future, already predicting Hitler’s suicide as well as sketching mobile phones and creating his own swastika-laden Rubik’s cube (a Franz’s cube, we guess!).
When Israel doesn’t return from buying tickets for America, the assumption is that he has betrayed them. Except for the youngest of the four, Matilde (Aurora Giovinazzo), a lithe acrobat who can conduct electricity and produces powerful shocks if her skin is touched, is convinced something is wrong, so they set out to find him.
Freaks vs The Reich (originally known as Freaks Out) is a visually stunning period piece with a very modern slant. The protagonists are a motley bunch, not all likeable, but certainly interesting and sympathetic. Setting the action against the persecution of the Jews by the Nazis allows for the obvious parallel in the way so-called ‘freaks’ are treated by the general public. It also works as a celebration of outsiders – something many of us can relate to.
Gabriele Mainetti directs confidently and despite its 140-minute running time, never loses its focus and maintains the interest. The camera work from Michele D’Attanasio is fantastic, whirling around Franz while he plays piano versions of Radiohead’s Creep and Guns n’ Roses’ Sweet Child O’Mine and particularly during the opening circus scene that ends in carnage at the hands of a Nazi attack. There’s a real emotional heart at the story’s centre, and it’s a twisted, stylish celebration of the underdog.
Dazzler Media presents FREAKS VS THE REICH in selected cinemas on January 12th.
Own it on Blu-ray, DVD, and Download February 26th.
