It’s hard to believe Alejandro Jodorowsky hasn’t released a film in almost 25 years. The cult director, whose surreal hit El Topo made him the father of midnight movies, is only increasing in popularity over the years. Now, with The Dance of Reality and Frank Pavich’s documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune, 2014 is the year where the 85-year-old director’s filmmaking career comes back to life. The Dance of Reality feels like the director never left the director’s chair in his two-plus decade absence though; he’s as strong as he ever was, and his latest work shows no drop in quality or imagination.

The film is autobiographical, or as autobiographical as Jodorowsky can be. It starts with a young Alejandro (Jeremías Herskovits) growing up in Tocopilla, Chile. His father Jaime (Brontis Jodorowsky) is a tough Communist, while his mother (Pamela Flores, singing every one of her lines in an operatic fashion) provides love and affection he can’t receive from his father’s overtly masculine attitude. Jaime abuses his son repeatedly, forcing him to get beaten up or have dental surgery without anaesthetic to earn his “approval.” Alejandro’s mother disowns him once his long, curly blond hair is cut off by Jaime.

Jodorowsky’s childhood is one defined by exclusion and isolation, not only by his parents but also by his Ukrainian and Jewish background. The melancholy undercurrent runs throughout the film, only offset by the surreal and sometimes humourous images Jodorowsky conjures up. Themes and ideas from the filmmaker’s other works often pop up: religion, spirituality, deformities, even Jodorowsky himself just to name a few. These scenes, combined with the overly colourful set design and compositions, are just as fascinating and bizarre as anything in The Holy Mountain or Santa Sangre.

As a filmmaker, Jodorowsky works in paradoxes. His films constantly call attention to the filmmaking process (seen here by the director inserting himself into scenes as he narrates) yet their spell is never broken; his films are dark and vulgar, but they’re infused with a childlike sense of wonder to them. When The Dance of Reality keeps its focus on Alejandro’s upbringing in Tocopilla, the film functions as a brilliantly crass fairy tale of sorts. Simply put, Jodorowsky is a truly singular filmmaker, and it’s impossible to think of any other director in the past or future capable of matching his level of creativity.

Eventually the autobiographical elements get pushed off to the background, the perspective shifting from a young Jodorowsky to his father’s own journey back home after a botched attempt to assassinate the country’s president. This storyline isn’t as affective as Jodorowsky’s own childhood experiences, with a lot of repetitive moments contributing to the film’s bloated two-plus hour runtime. The Dance of Reality may suffer from some indulgences, but one can’t really blame Jodorowsky for indulging after such a long absence. If The Dance of Reality is the director’s final film, it will make for a satisfying yet minor work, and a fitting culmination of his career. Of course one can’t predict or expect what Jodorowsky will do next, but getting anything new from a person this creative feels like a gift by this point.

The Dance of Reality trailer

Here is a quick numbers breakdown of my 2013 Cannes Film Festival coverage. I spent about 8 full days (I had two half days that I am counting as one) watching a total of 17 films (not counting the one I walked out on). So I managed to see just over two films on average a day with an average rating of 6.8 that I gave out. All in all, I saw a lot of daring films, many of which were hard to watch, but all were crafted among the best talent in cinema today. So while my ratings may seem a little on the low side, it was only because it felt appropriate to critique them on the upmost of scales considering the extraordinary stage they were presented on.

NOTE: Here is a few films that I did not get a chance to see either because of schedule conflicts or general availability of the release in the US after the festival. Some of the the following could have changed the list; Inside Llewyn Davis, Blue Is The Warmest Color, Fruitvale Station, Behind the Candelabra, The Immigrant, The Missing Picture.

My Top 10 Films from Cannes 2013:

#10 – Ain’t Them Bodies Saints

Affleck dominates the screen when he appears and makes a good case for one of his better roles as an actor. The sun-filled landscapes of Texas provides great cinematography.
Ain’t Them Bodies Saints review

#9 – The Dance of Reality

Although The Dance of Reality is a bit disorganized, the film was extremely playful and entertaining. Feels more like a theatrical play than a film.
The Dance of Reality review

#8 – Nothing Bad Can Happen

Do not be fooled by the title, enough bad and painful things happen in this film, and they will stick with you long after the film is over. Emotions are definitely evoked.
Nothing Bad Can Happen review

#7 – The Congress

Of all the films at this years Cannes Film Festival The Congress may be have the strongest and ambitious plot. The biggest downfall might be that it tried to achieve too much, a shame because it had potential to be much higher on this list.
The Congress review

#6 – As I Lay Dying

This film has to earn the most uniquely shot films of the festival. Several parts of the film are shot in split screen to show perspective and reactions of multiple characters at once. And it did it without it feeling too gimmicky!
As I Lay Dying review

#5 – Borgman

Borgman was this year’s Holy Motors or Dogtooth for Cannes, a film that cranks the bizarre factor to the max. Films that are unlike any others typically sit well with me.
Borgman review

#4 – Nebraska

There is not a whole lot that goes on in Nebraska, similar to the small towns that are featured in it, but this is a road trip/family bonding film that is extremely heartwarming and entertaining.
Nebraska review

#3 – Sarah Prefers To Run

Sarah Prefers To Run wonderfully allows the audience to make their own guesses on what results in the film because of how subtle the film handles much of what is shown. The film contains a great message of controlling your own destiny.
Sarah Prefers To Run review

#2 – The Great Beauty

The Great Beauty takes a few jabs at the current snapshot of Italian culture and does so by showcasing hilarious satire with magnificent cinematography. It ends up being a love letter to Rome, or at least the great beauty of it.
The Great Beauty review

#1 – Like Father Like Son

Like Father Like Son shows its cards nearly right away but it remains intriguing long after you think it has played its hand. It takes a rather simplistic plot and turns it into something of a complex story that explores every angle.
Like Father Like Son review

This morning I made a rookie mistake by leaving my umbrella at the hotel and not checking the weather before I left. The weather in Cannes can turn from sun-baked beaches surrounded by palm trees to a cold downpour in an instance. As I made my way down to the Croisette for a bright and early 8:30 AM press screening for Jimmy P. I was astounded by just how quiet the streets were. It makes sense as the parties here in Cannes can go on all night as long as you know the right people to get in. It seemed as if only once the rain started to let up a little that the security guards felt like opening the gates for the press to walk up the red carpet into the breathtaking Grand Lumiere Theater. It may be just another way that the guards remind everyone who has power at the festival.

Cannes Red Carpet

Jimmy P.

After suffering apparent brain trauma a few years past his time spent at war, Jimmy Picard (Benicio Del Toro) has frequent migraine attacks and even experiences temporary blindness from time to time. Doctors examine him only to stubbornly conclude that because Jimmy P. is an Indian, that they cannot accurately determine the extent of his psychological issues that plague him. That is not until a new arrival of a doctor that a more sympathetic view on the Native American culture takes place. The portrayal of ignorance that Americans had at the time toward the Native Americans is heavily present in the beginning of the film, but the film ends up being less of a history lesson as it is an unlikely friendship bonding film between Jimmy and the only doctor that seems to want to understand.

The new doctor (Mathieu Amalric) explains the phenomenon of how the Native American tribe Blackfoot tends to believe dreams shed light on the future rather than on the past. So when Jimmy has a frightening nightmare about killing animals, the doctor suspects that it could potentially unlock what is going in Jimmy’s head. Their daily sessions quickly become the main focus of the film, which subsequently shifts the overall theme that the film began with.

Even though there was some great acting by Benicio Del Toro and some dream reenactments that were entertaining to watch, nothing else is very groundbreaking. Given the time period the film is set in and the stereotypes against Native Americans in that time period and even still today, I felt like the story could have been more than just a bland narrative that is was. Jimmy P. is a straight-forward film that could have been better if it did not feel so uninspired. This true life story makes for a better case study than it does a feature film.

RATING: 6

My original plan was to head to the second press screening of Inside Llewyn Davis, but the chatter on Twitter expressed the demand was very high for the first screening (not surprising) but that many people who were turned away from it immediately formed a new line for the later show. Therefore, I decided to catch another Director’s Fortnight film by the legendary filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky. Unbeknownst to me, and likely everyone, Nicolas Winding Refn, who is in town for his own film which is In Competition for the Palme d’Or (Only God Forgives), came on stage to introduce the filmmaker. Refn proclaimed, “[Jodorowksy] is the last king of cinema”.

Nicolas Winding Refn introduces Alejandro Jodorowsky

La danza de la realidad (The Dance of Reality)

Alejandro Jodorowsky’s The Dance of Reality pans out to be more like a theatrical play than your typical biographical film. Which is what the film dramatizes; Jodorowsky’s own upbringing. Everything found in the film is presented and told in fairy tale style. The mother who is portrayed as a heavenly angel of sorts, sings each one of her lines in an operatic fashion.

Although much of The Dance of Reality is rather comical and playful, there are some depictions of some deep personal emotional pains in the film. For example, the young Jodorowsky boy seeks constant approval from his father, Jamie (Brontis Jodorowsky), who is nothing but resentful of his son. The first half of the film is about the son trying to earn his father’s respect. Jamie claims that his long curly blonde haired son is more like a whore than a real man, and eventually resorts to some gruesome tests to prove the manhood of his son. For instance, for each slap across the face the young boy’s face received from this father, gains him more admiration from him.

The Dance of Reality is certainly not for the squeamish or the easily offended. A buzzed about topic around the festival is how shocking it was for the film Mexican film Heli to feature a man’s genitals set on fire. Perhaps equally as shocking is when a female urinates on her husbands face in full detail. There is no doubt that this film contains the work of a legendary filmmaker, but Jodorowsky’s style alone cannot save for the film’s lack of overall consistency. Parts of the film are semi-autobiographical and other parts are flamboyantly told in a over-dramatic ways. Jodorowsky himself makes several cameos in the film but does not always help improve the scene or story. All said and done, the film felt equally as great as it did disorganized.

RATING: 6.8