Film Review: The Dance of Reality (18) (Chile/France 2013) (Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky) (Spanish with English Subtitles), Filmhouse, Screen Two, Edinburgh, Saturday 10.10.2015, 17:55

I first began to check out the work of Jodorowsky earlier this year when I found out that it is a key influence on the latest album by Laura Marling. I watched 'El Topo' (1970) on television, and saw 'Santa Sangre' (1989) during the Edinburgh International Film Festival this year. I also have 'Holy Mountain' (1973) on disk waiting to be watched. I have heard 'The Dance of Reality' being compared favourably to 'El Topo' & 'Holy Mountain' both of which are regarded as Jodorowsky's early hallucinogenic masterpieces. 

If you are not familiar with Jodorowsky's work, two little titbits that may give a sense of his output are that Marilyn Manson considers him the greatest director who ever lived, and Jodorowsky was meant to direct Dune before it got passed to David Lynch. From what I understand of what Jodorowsky's film would have contained, It sounds as though it would have been a far more interesting film than Lynch's, if he had been allowed to finish it.  

The film I understand to some degree to be based upon Jodorowsky's memories from early childhood, when his father was enamoured by Stalin and we are shown his mother only vocally expressing through operatic singing. The film has some funny moments, but on the whole is a far more abstract work than you could come across in the work of most other directors. It feels hard to describe the piece in anyway that would come close to describing how wonderfully weird it is, or that could give a fair snapshot of the story. This is a film which requires a leap of faith, for the viewer just to go with it and not judge too quickly. It feels difficult to say more about it, without given away vital plot details. Suffice to say I greatly enjoyed the piece and it has some spectacular Chiliean landscape scenery. 

I would say that the Russian film from last weekend 'Hard to be a God' (2013) did feel slightly more engrossing, though I would say that I had absolutely no idea what to expect of that film. I feel that I certainly did know what sort of work to expect this time round, though I don't feel that makes it any lesser a film. 

Rating: 10/10.