'The Dance of Reality' - Movie Review

I haven't seen a movie this bizarre since "Eraserhead," thirty years ago. I can give you some idea of the basic premise, but it's totally insane and I can't do justice to its weirdness. I suppose I was curious about Alejandro Jodorowsky after watching "Jodorowsky's Dune."

Jeremías Herskovits (who is in fact the director Alejandro Jodorowsky's grandson) plays the young Alejandro. He lives in Chile with his parents Sara (Pamela Flores) and Jaime (Brontis Jodorowsky, Alejandro's son - this is very much a family affair). Sara is very strongly Christian, and sings everything instead of speaking. But Jaime is a hard-core communist and atheist who worships Stalin, and demands strength and self-control from his young and fearful son. Alejandro Jodorowsky (the director, not the character played by Herskovits) appears occasionally to stand behind the young Alejandro - to reassure him and make incredibly cryptic pronouncements that clarified nothing. But it hasn't really got weird yet. At one point, to prove his bravery, Jaime delivers water to plague victims. He becomes infected - but his wife saves him by praying to God and then urinating all over him. Jaime now knows what he needs to do: he's going to save the workers by murdering Carlos Ibáñez (who was an actual dictator in Chile from 1952 to 1958). He fails, and in an even weirder turn, is captured and tortured by Nazis (let's not forget the cattle prod to the testicles - Jodorowsky really likes naked people of both genders). The movie ends shortly after Jaime's return home and spiritual awakening. Oh dear - did I ruin that for you? Trust me, you aren't watching this one for the plot - if you watch it at all.

Let's have a look at the cast list ...

2013, dir. Alejandro Jodorowsky. With Brontis Jodorowsky, Jeremías Herskovits, Pamela Flores, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Bastián Bodenhöfer, Andrés Cox, Adán Jodorowsky, Cristóbal Jodorowsky.