Strange Circus (2005)

Set in the pulsating heart of Tokyo, a chilling tale of a family's descent into depravity unfolds. Twelve-year-old Mitsuko, in a moment of unintended voyeurism, witnesses her parents in an intimate act. Her father, Ozawa Gozo, the stern principal of her school, exploits this incident, dragging her into a perverse game, forcing her to watch him with her mother, Sayuri, from within the confines of a cello case. Gozo's twisted desires escalate, spiraling into a cycle of incestuous abuse that ensnares both Mitsuko and Sayuri. As the family's stability shatters, they are plunged into a spiral of murder, jealousy, and attempts at suicide, painting a grotesque tableau of a family in ruin. Yet, this disturbing narrative is not what it seems. It is, in fact, the creation of Taeko, a wheelchair-bound novelist, who weaves this dark tapestry from the threads of her imagination. When her publisher introduces his new hire, Yuji, to assist her, the layers of the story begin to peel back. Yuji, however, is not merely an assistant. He is on a mission, unraveling the twisted tale to expose the truth of Taeko's past, and the secrets hidden in the locked room of her apartment. As the boundaries between the macabre fiction and reality blur, a question arises: which is the dream, and which is the nightmare? This haunting chronicle of Strange Circus, laced with eroticism and horror, is not for the faint-hearted. It invites viewers to delve into the depths of human perversion, pushing the limits of what one can bear, and leaving them questioning the nature of reality itself.

Strange Circus is a drama movie featuring Rie Kuwana and directed by Sion Sono.

It is possible to buy Strange Circus on Apple TV.