Circo (I) (2010)

A hardscrabble traveling Mexican circus troupe has lived and performed on the road since the 19th Century, but will their art survive into the 21st?

Director:

Aaron Schock

Writers:

Mark Becker, Aaron Schock

1 win.

Storyline

Tino Ponce operates Circo Mexico, which journeys across the Mexican countryside in search of paying customers. Wanting to please his father and continue the family business, Ponce has recruited his young children as performers while laboring night and day to maintain the circus's faltering financial fortunes. But a growing resentment brewing within his wife about their hardscrabble existence suggests troubles on the horizon. While documenting the brutal regimen of circus life, Circo also peels back the curtain on the Ponce family's inner dynamics, revealing generational divides and money worries that threaten to tear apart a marriage. Buttressed by indie-rock band Calexico's evocative score, Schock's film observes this family drama with a sympathetic but clear-eyed view of a vanishing way of life. And because Circo refuses to be sentimental in its handling of the material, the story's twists become all the more poignant.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

Mexico USA

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

2010 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Mexico

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$5,403 (USA) (1 April 2011)

Gross:

$77,466 (USA) (26 August 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

C5, Hecho a Mano

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in The Smallest Red Carpet, But the Biggest Heart (2011)

User Reviews

A glimpse into the lives of others

Director Aaron Schock had his camera following members of a circus family in Mexico and they went about their daily life, performances and road trips. This family which included 4 children, all performers, roamed from one small town to the other to make a meagre living through their performances - a dying art. Life was not easy, but even the children seemed to be content with that life style.

Acting was flawless and often you think the it was done without the family members knowing the camera was there. There was also a candid look into the usual problems within a family, including the conflict between the parents over the wellbeing of the children. Through this film you will have a good, honest look into the lives of a family that you would not otherwise relate to.

The bonus materials is good, too. An update on the family after the film was done gives the viewing an interesting closure. I highly recommended this film to anyone seeking a story in real life, and not Hollywood escapism.