Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Dense
- Violence
- Moderate
- grotesque
- eerie
- dreamy
- cult film night
- avant garde cinema screening
What critics said
Critics recognized the film's force as surrealist media but broadly found its shock tactics excessive and compared it unfavorably with Fellini Satyricon.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Fando and Lis travel toward the mythical city of Tar, whose significance remains allegorical and elusive.
The couple's intimate relationship is presented through surreal encounters, bodily limitation, and shocking theatrical imagery.
The film derives from Fernando Arrabal's theater and uses staged tableaux, symbolic figures, and panical performance traditions.
The search for Tar unfolds through a barren, uncanny world identified in the film's metadata as a post-apocalyptic future.
Films like Fando and Lis, and why
The Holy Mountain
surrealist fantasy, grotesque theatricality, and an allegorical journey through a desolate landscape
Santa Sangre
provocative surrealism, ritualized imagery, and confrontational treatment of bodies and spirituality
The Color of Pomegranates
dreamlike fantasy, eroticized symbolism, and a psychologically unstable journey through uncanny spaces
Movie Details
- Director
- Alejandro Jodorowsky
- Release Date
- 1972-06-08
- Runtime
- 97 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (149)
Cast
- Sergio Kleiner
- Diana Mariscal
- María Teresa Rivas
- Tamara Garina
- Juan José Arreola
- Rene Rebetez
- Amparo Villegas
- Miguel Álvarez Acosta
- Raul Romero
- Julio Castillo
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Fando and Lis about?
- A disabled woman and her volatile lover cross a surreal wasteland toward a mythical city that may be salvation, delusion, or both.
- What is Fando and Lis like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Fando and Lis as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as dense.
- Is Fando and Lis violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Fando and Lis as moderate.
- What did critics think of Fando and Lis?
- Critics recognized the film's force as surrealist media but broadly found its shock tactics excessive and compared it unfavorably with Fellini Satyricon.
- Which films are like Fando and Lis?
- Films with a similar feel include The Holy Mountain, Santa Sangre, and The Color of Pomegranates.
- How long is Fando and Lis?
- Fando and Lis runs 97 minutes.
- Where can I watch Fando and Lis?
- In United States, Fando and Lis is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store.
