Strange Circus

there is so much to be said about this movie, i could talk for hours and hours. this movie made me feel ill, and confused, and shocked. I had to sit on it for a moment to get all of my thoughts in order. it is absolutely not for everyone but i think the themes were handled very well, and the imagery is absolutely stunning  it has one of the most complex and sophisticated approaches i’ve ever seen covering the topic of childhood sexual abuse and the relationships between family members who are being abused within their home. mother daughter relationships and how complicated it can become when you have the same abuser. not only is every single character psychologically traumatized and or sick in the head, it left the watcher feeling the exact same way. unreliable narrator, denial of what you truly are, fucked up coping mechanisms, psychological breaks. it’s all here.  the plot twist and reveal was absolutely insane. i felt just as shocked as sayori did in that moment. i almost didn’t want to believe it because the entire time we were set up to believe something completely different.  yuji is a character very dear to me. after all of the abuse he suffered he managed to find a group of people who understood him and accepted him for who he is. he also managed to exact revenge on his abusers in the most violent way possible. it was satisfying and grotesque and tearjerking. the imagery of yuhi being a separate figure standing behind mitsuko as she is re-homed and attempting to heal from her past stuck with me, as well as the image of the two sitting side by side with wide smiles watching their mother get what they believed she deserved.  amazing.