Strange Circus

In Strange Circus, wheelchair-bound Taeko (Masumi Miyazaki), a renowned writer of erotica, dazzles editors with her latest: a perverse story of incest and murder whose young protagonist named Mitsuko may be based on the author herself. Inventive Japanese director Sion Sono—whose 2002 Suicide Club alternately enthralled and outraged viewers—returns with a similarly provocative and skillfully made hallucinatory thriller in which the audience will be hard pressed to distinguish between illusion and reality. The subject matter and graphic visuals make Strange Circus at times difficult to watch, especially in the scenes involving 12-year-old Mitsuko's (Rie Kuwano) sexual relationship with her father (although discriminatingly presemted, given the circumstances, without underage nudity). Sure to appeal to the ever-growing audience for Japanese shockers (not to mention hard-edged anime, which shares some characteristics with Strange Circus), this visually dazzling though very disturbing film is recommended for more adventurous collections. (E. Hulse)