FREAKS VS THE REICH
Cert 15
141 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language, bloody violence, gore, sex, sexual threat, drug misuse
What a wonderful surprise!
The title of Freaks Vs The Reich prompted fears of a ghastly B-movie with a concentration only on weirdness and schlock violence.
While there is a high body count, I am pleased to report that it is more memorable for its imaginative storyline and quirky characters.
The word Freaks has a negative connotation, but the audience will warm to the chief protagonists.
Gabriele Mainetti's movie grabs from its opening - a dazzling circus with acts that frighten, amuse and startle, interrupted by a devastating bombing raid.
The movie is set in Italy during the Second World War, and many are killed, but the stars of the show survive.
The albino who can control insects (Pietro Castellitto), a magnetic dwarf (Giancarlo Martini), a wolf-man (Claudio Santamaria) and a girl with an electric current (Aurora Giovinazzo) are led by a kindly old fella (Giorgio Tirabassi) who promises them a better life in America.
However, these are perilous times, and the dream has many obstacles.
These include a six-fingered clairvoyant (Franz Rogowski) who plays piano in the famous Zirkus Berlin.
His future visions have led him to believe that four freaks with superpowers are the key to the Nazis avoiding a humiliating defeat.
This may sound terribly convoluted by works - mainly because the characters are so beautifully drawn.
Much of the movie centres on the electric girl and her fears that merely touching her could result in death.
Initially, she is frightened of her powers because she has only harnessed them for her circus act, but others around her are desperate for her to focus on the war effort.
These include a group of disabled resistant fighters and, on the other hand, the drug-addled, Nazi megalomaniac pianist.
Giovinazzo and Rogowksi are terrific in their roles and benefit from some cracking support in a film which is so pacey and pleasing to the eye that two hours and 20 minutes fly by.
Freaks vs The Reich is very weird, and some may find it too heady. We thoroughly enjoyed it.
Reasons to watch: Imaginative and quirky
Reasons to avoid: Too heady at times
Laughs: Three
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: Yes
Overall rating: 8/10
Did you know? Up to one in every 1,000 babies is born with polydactyly, which means they have extra fingers on their hands or extra toes on their feet or both.
Did you know? Gabriele Mainetti: "Being Italian and coming from all our culture of neorealism, I’ve seen movies done by Rossellini [such as] “Rome Open City” and “Paisan” done during the war, but I wanted to [tell] a story about what my generation sees when I see those moments, so that’s why I try to play with the story [with] my way of seeing things." The Moveable Fest
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