Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Labyrinthine
- Violence
- Graphic
- disturbing
- surreal
- provocative
- midnight movie viewing
- extreme horror marathon
What critics said
Critics recognized the film's capacity to shock and provoke but broadly found its tasteless excesses ultimately tedious.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Taeko's novel reproduces the family's horrors while her investigation into her past destabilizes the distinction between story and experience.
Incest, sexual violence, gore, and grotesque family behavior dominate the film's deliberately provocative register.
Gozo's position as father and school principal enables coercive control over Mitsuko and Sayuri.
Masumi Miyazaki plays Mitsuko, Sayuri, and Taeko as the film connects trauma, authorship, and selfhood.
Films like Strange Circus, and why
Audition
surreal psychological horror, taboo family dynamics, and destabilized reality
Visitor Q
transgressive japanese horror, graphic imagery, and fractured identity
Inland Empire
nightmarish psychological horror, sexual trauma, and ambiguous reality
Movie Details
- Director
- Sion Sono
- Release Date
- 2005-12-24
- Runtime
- 108 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (215)
Cast
- Rie Kuwana
- Masumi Miyazaki
- Seiko Iwaido
- Issei Ishida
- Fujiko
- Madamu Rejînu
- Tomorowo Taguchi
- Hiroshi Ohguchi
- Yuya Ishikawa
- Mame Yamada
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Apple TV Store
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Strange Circus about?
- A disabled novelist's search for her buried past collides with a grotesque family nightmare in which fiction, memory, and reality become indistinguishable.
- What is Strange Circus like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Strange Circus as measured, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as labyrinthine.
- Is Strange Circus violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Strange Circus as graphic.
- What did critics think of Strange Circus?
- Critics recognized the film's capacity to shock and provoke but broadly found its tasteless excesses ultimately tedious.
- Which films are like Strange Circus?
- Films with a similar feel include Audition, Visitor Q, and Inland Empire.
- How long is Strange Circus?
- Strange Circus runs 108 minutes.
- Where can I watch Strange Circus?
- In United States, Strange Circus is available to rent or buy from Apple TV Store.
