Anyone interested in cult movies must have heard of Chilean artist Alejandro Jodorowsky – even if, during his 57 year association with the cinema so far, he has only delivered two shorts and seven feature films. With my open-air viewing of his latest effort, I have now watched all of them…having just caught up with the quirky LA CRAVATE (1957),the irritating TEATRO SIN FIN (1965),the exotic adventure TUSK (1980) and even the engrossing feature-length documentary JODOROWSKY'S DUNE (2013). As things stand now, I can divide Jodorowosky's filmography into three symmetrical groups: admirable (EL TOPO {1970}, SANTA SANGRE {1989}and, happily, THE DANCE OF REALITY),enjoyable (LA CRAVATE, TUSK, THE RAINBOW THIEF {1990}) and loathsome (TEATRO SIN FIN, FANDO AND LIS {1968}, THE HOLY MOUNTAIN {1973})…

It is not an unknown occurrence in movies that a respected artist takes an inordinately long hiatus from the medium: David Lean, Sergio Leone and Stanley Kubrick are perhaps the most egregious examples…but Jodorowsky's 23 years is probably the lengthiest sabbatical yet! Although he had been threatening to make a sequel to EL TOPO for the last decade – his screenplay of THE SONS OF EL TOPO was even glimpsed sitting on the man's shelves in the aforementioned "Dune" documentary! – it is perhaps unsurprising that it took the now-85-year-old Jodorowsky's most personal project, an adaptation of his own autobiography, to lure him back to the cinema (even if that only came about as a result of a reteaming with his DUNE producer Michel Seydoux). Equally plausible is the fact that, for a man with such a long and varied career, one film would not be enough to tell his whole life-story and, as his young son Adan said in the Q&A which followed the film's screening, Alejandro is currently working on the second installment! I, for one, am looking forward to it…

In keeping with the autobiographical nature of the film, his oldest son Brontis (who played the child in EL TOPO) has the lead role here of Jodorowsky's strict businessman father, Cristobal plays a Buddhist mystic who runs around practically naked, Adan plays a long-haired, bespectacled anarchist and Alejandro himself appears as the ruminating guardian angel of his put-upon younger self! Although I would be the first one to admit that I much prefer the Luis Buñuel brand of Surrealism rather than the self-indulgent obscurantist style propagated by the likes of Federico Fellini, Fernando Arrabal (Jodorowsky's own partner in his "Panic" movement days) and David Lynch (the director who ultimately brought DUNE to the big-screen, albeit disastrously, in 1984!),I have to say that sitting through the not unsubstantial 130-minute duration of THE DANCE OF REALITY made me realize that even Jodorowsky's most outre' ideas in his previous films might well have had their seeds in his troubled childhood in the desert Chilean village of Tocopilla.

The film can be roughly divided into three segments: the first part concentrates on the boy's physical and mental abuse at the hands of his Ukranian-Jewish father (including vignettes involving red shoes and the fire brigade); the second on the father's ineffectual political activities (including an amusing failed assassination attempt at a best-dressed dog contest and a lengthy episode as the Chilean dictator's horse groomer); and, finally, the prodigal father's return homeward (after suffering from a bout of amnesia following much torture at the hands of the tyrannical regime). The father (incidentally, Brontis' appearance here turns him into a virtual dead ringer for Hollywood actor Peter Sarsgaard!) had been a circus performer and is portrayed as a staunch atheistic Communist, the mother only communicates in operatic arias and the young boy is seen sporting a blonde wig at the latter's insistence (in emulation of her own father's mane) and the former's chagrin. While berating his son for looking effeminate and mingling with the local mystics and mutilated soldiers-turned-paupers, Jodorowsky Sr. is shown consorting with whores, transvestites and political subversives in his weekly night-time trysts to the local tavern.

As can be gleaned from a cursory glance at the storyline and as was to be expected from this director, despite the reflective and occasionally even pastoral mood that permeates the proceedings, the film cannot fail but include a surfeit of full-frontal nudity which result in a couple of strong scenes: both father and mother get to shed their clothes but, instead of using it during scenes of sexual activity, the elder Jodorowsky shows his father being humiliated and tortured, himself as a young boy being comforted by his stark-naked, big-breasted mum and the latter miraculously healing her leprosy–stricken husband by urinating on him!! In such a godless environment (where religious relics are dumped into the toilet bowl),even horses can become objects of desire as the Chilean leader is depicted metaphorically having a virtual orgasm while astride his white-maned Bucephalus and, consequently, it is the latter who gets poisoned instead of its owner who is in turn devastated by the loss! The director's typically skewed sense of humour, then, is evident in the recurring presence of a midget barker, forever donning outlandish costumes, in an attempt to draw crowds to Jodorowsky's lingerie shop - but which are mostly unappreciated by his irascible employer!

While the occasional longueur does make itself felt (particularly during the second half),the film moves at a surprisingly breezy pace thanks to a compelling narrative and one is certainly thankful for it – especially considering the feature film started screening at around 10:00 p.m.! Jodorowsky's visual artistry is as sharp as ever and one barely realizes that the movie was shot on digital. Adan Jodorowsky's score is definitely an asset and, when asked about what inspired him to write it during the following Q&A session, he mentioned not just his father's self-penned music for EL TOPO and THE HOLY MOUNTAIN but also the works of legendary film composer Bernard Herrmann!

Despite having seen his name mentioned in connection to "off-beat" cinema for years,I have somehow never got round to seeing a title by writer/directing auteur Alejandro Jodorowsky.With a poll being held on IMDb's Classic Film board for the best titles of 2014,I felt that it was the perfect time to witness Jodorowsky's first film in 23 years.

The plot:

Fearing that his sons girl-like long hair is stopping him from "manning up", Jaime takes his young son Alejandro to the barbers.Ignoring the pleas from his wife Sara,Jaime attempts to harden the boy up by teaching him about how a man should behaviour,from kicking beggars to the curb,to taking raw slaps across the face,and having a filling done with no anaesthetic.

Worshipping Stalin (to the point where he has a Pop star-style poster on his wall!) Jaime becomes part of an underground group of communists which includes clowns,lesbians and fellow Jewish residence who are noticing an increasing amount of anti-Semitism in the village.Feeling that military president Carlos Ibáñez del Campo's grip on power is gaining strength,the group decide that they must assassinate Campo,so that communist rule can finally take over.Taking on the task of killing Campo,Jaime waves goodbye to his family & the small village,as he travels to the big city for his target.As Jaime sets his sights on Campo,he finds himself taking part in a dance on the very edge of reality.

View on the film:

Towering above the movie as an on-screen narrator,writer/director Alejandro Jodorowsky brings his autobiography to life by offering a blend of enchanting surrealism and stark,harsh Drama.Backed by a wonderfully strange circus score from Alejandro's son Adan) Jodorowsky elegantly uses Fantasy to build an atmosphere where the viewer is never completely sure over what is real and what is imagination.Filmed on location in his childhood village,Jodorowsky and cinematographer Jean-Marie Dreujou use decaying blues & reds to show the light that Alejandro is desperate to find in the darkness.

Along with the eye-catching costumes designed by Alejandro's wife Pascale Montandon-Jodorowsky, (when ol' Alejandro makes a flick,it's a family day out!)Jodorowsky stops the audience from ever being able to settle down,thanks to packing the title with explosively bonkers touches which go from Alejandro's mum only being able to speak in operetta,to Alejandro's mum curing her husband's illness by peeing on him.

Keeping the title at a child's eye view Jodorowsky keeps away from sentimentalising any area of this allegorical childhood,with every slap from Jaime and anti-Semitic remark from the village cutting a piece out of Alejandro's heart.Whilst Jodorowsky shows Jaime to never feel love towards anyone other than Stalin,Jodorowsky uses the final 30 minutes to offer a sliver of epiphany,as Jaime finds his dreams being left to fade in the fields with the wild horses.Although the final 30 minutes of Jodorowsky's 130 minute canvas do offer the chance to focus on Jaime's inner feelings,Jodorowsky's final flight-of-Fantasy's sadly lose a bit of there bounce,due to the electrifying Jaime/Alejandro relationship not being there as a launch pad.

Making this a full-on family affair, Brontis Jodorowsky slides the movie into a warped psychoanalysis world that would make Freud's head explode,as Brontis gives a superb performance as his dads dad.Given the hardest of rides possible by his dad, (with a scene involving his testicles V an electric cable being a real moment for the family album!) Brontis matches Jaime's blunt,brutal treatment towards his son,with an oddly quiet assertive manner,with Brontis showing loneliness in Jaime's eyes,as his assassination dreams turn to a fading memory.Not even being 10 years old when making the title, Jeremias Herskovits gives an extraordinary performance as Alejandro,with Herskoits keeping the character away from being sickly sweet,by showing Alejandro's tears of terror from the pain caused by his dad,with tears of joy from the Fantasy's that he is making,as Alejandro takes his feet off the dance floor of reality.

Jodorowsky is back in full swing and has certainly learned from his previous films. It is on par with the weirdness of holy mountain and has a somewhat coherent narrative at the same time without the pacing ever slowing down and managing to keep it to 2 hours long.

He creates a metaphorical world where we follow a young Jodrowsky and his father full of bright colours and some very quirky characters. There are his signature marks of male and female nudity bizarre imagery and amputees. I can't help but feel the film was more about his father growing up than about Jodrowsky as his father changes from the macho- Stalin worshipping God denying homophobic hypocrite to a broken god fearing hero of the people. Along with that we some real nice cinematography and is overall a great film it is not by any means for the casual movie goer as they would be repulsed by some of what goes on in this film.