7/10
Alejandro Jodorowsky’s filmmaking career has been erratic at best. This is the first movie he’s done since 1990’s much-hated The Rainbow Thief. Money has always been Jodorowksy’s enemy and The Dance of Reality is definitely made on a budget. It’s something of an autobiographical movie, but a strange one – it focuses on Jodorowsky’s pre-teen youth and especially his relationship with his parents, Jaime and Sara. Jaime, Alejandro’s father, is played by Brontis Jodorowsky – Alejandro’s son. Alejandro himself frequently appears in the movie as well, usually speaking directly to the camera but occasionally interacting with his younger on-screen self. Many of the scenes are, of course, surreal, and it’s impossible to tell what might have happened from what didn’t (the “dance” of the title of Jodorowsky combining the real and the imagined of his real life, his memories, his fantasies, etc.) but it’s also arguably the most straight-forward and honest work I’ve ever seen from him. It goes on for a little too long and gets a bit off track at times but overall it’s a clever, heartfelt, and interesting depiction of a true original.
Worth noting is that the screening was preceded by a short video introduction from Jodorowsky – stark naked, “as cinema should be”. Naturally
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