What Mainetti was aiming to do was probably a bit too ambitious for the budget of the movie, you can see that mainly in the vfx, however the movie is able to appear realistic, thanks to the folk substrate of the characters and locations. A note of credit goes to Aurora Giovinazzo, who plays Matilde, for her great performance, surely a good discovery for the italian cinema. Indeed a really well made movie for the italian and european scene, which can aspire to be seen overseas.
38 Reviews
Circus freaks and Nazies
surfisfun26 February 2022
Fellini meets Marvel Comics
frizzardi23 November 2021
The story is steeped in magic realism, well acted and quite touching in several moments.
My favourite character was the hunchback leader of the partisan gang, but everybody deserved praise (Santamaria was excellent as always, all but unrecognizable under a heavy Chewbacca - style makeup).
Franz chews every scene he's in, and even minor characters are well-rounded, from Irina to the wolf-woman to the partisan sniper.
Even the final battle scene is well choreographed, and makes more tactical sense than several big budget battles where the opposing armies simply rush at each other.
Definitely recommended.
My favourite character was the hunchback leader of the partisan gang, but everybody deserved praise (Santamaria was excellent as always, all but unrecognizable under a heavy Chewbacca - style makeup).
Franz chews every scene he's in, and even minor characters are well-rounded, from Irina to the wolf-woman to the partisan sniper.
Even the final battle scene is well choreographed, and makes more tactical sense than several big budget battles where the opposing armies simply rush at each other.
Definitely recommended.
Freaks vs. the Nazis
wjosephjorob22 February 2022
A quite fantastical adventure that caught my eye out of curiosity, I went into watching this film blind without viewing a trailer, what wonderful surprise this film was in a good way, a rather odd but strange tale of a circus family of freaks caught up the horrors of WW2 and the evils of Nazism thru out the countryside, and how they grapple with being separated from one another, a mix of wizard of oz, X-men and Fellini, they meet various characters along the way in their journey both good and evil, this movie was rather long and some of the scenes dragged along, but it will hold your attention and that matters most, especially the second act of this film, when the drama takes a turn towards action, the war scenes were well staged and unedited as a matter of fact most of the violence was unedited but not in an extreme way, the Nazi army wasn't prepared for these hapless and uncanny heroes and their survival skills was put to good use, which I enjoyed a lot in a few scenes, if this film is available in your area, and you're in the mood for something entirely different than the normal, seek this one out.
Great start, weak development.
charley_varrick31 October 2021
It reminded me of what happened with Benigni's Pinocchio. Mainetti made us wait almost six years for his "cinecomic". He wants to repeat the call of his previous experiment. He opens with a dazzling incipit. Then almost everything derails. The increase in the means available - which prevented the immediate release in streaming - had to guarantee even more visionary than his last test. Unfortunately, the only revelation worthy of the other undertaking consists in the choice of the protagonist. There was Ilenia Pastorelli, here is the very young Aurora Giovinazzo. So far we are. Then, between a few empty passages and a smashing epilogue (reminiscent of the own goal of the final battle in the dark in the Games of Thrones) one gets more and more the impression of witnessing a long drawn episode of a fantasy TV series. It is recognized the good will to want to be different, at least in intent, from the Italian cinema of recent seasons. At the same time, by raising the bar of ambition, any appeal that could become cult again is inhibited: on this occasion, there is some politically incorrect idea or some Chaplinian tenderness but it is not enough to give freshness to Italian popular cinema. The "coming to age" journey of his gentle misfits - much more successful in Jeeg Robot - this time does not compete in depth with his obvious models (X-men, Guardians of the Galaxy, Suicide Squad). Claudio Santamaria, now elected as the director's alter-ego, is masked in Chewbacca style, despite being the only star of appeal (together, perhaps, with Giorgio Tirabassi). One wonders why Luca Marinelli has not returned as the villain.
Circus Hero
jeroduptown6 May 2022
Holy cow
dsol-2498920 August 2022
A couple of nice ideas in a sea of obviousness
fabiosciarra-18 November 2021
Maybe my expectations were too high but Marinetti's second feature was a big disappointment for me. This time he has been too focused to mimic international big budget and old cult movies (actually he did it very well) without adding anything original and deeply inspired. Besides a very nice cinematography, after more than two hours of a very predictable plot, eventually the movie showed me just a couple of nice ideas in a sea of obviousness.
Best Italian Movie in ages
danilop-096363 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
What if Hitler has the opportunity to know the future but the man was a freak?
This movie has one of the best villain imaginable, someone in contact with the future, and a group of very powerful super heroes to contrast him.
Everyone do his part, the character development is amazing, and the heroes understand themselves better on every scene.
They are all flawed, perfection is never put on the table, maybe the Germans, but it is so to underline the power of imperfections.
Everything is great, modern and with a love for Rome and Gigi Proietti in every scene.
There are incredible creepy scenes when it comes to depict the real horror of war, and when the partisans sung bella ciao The atmosphere goes super dark.
It's also a lyric that underline the importance of harmony in differences and it is sagacious to put it in the hand of the racists.
Recitation, photography, special effects, and many more details are finally getting modern in Italian movies, for me it was absurd that we still did movies like in the '50 and never try something new.
I loved it and I hope this movie will get the merits he deserves; but I sense someone will try to destroy the movie to avoid confrontation.
This movie has one of the best villain imaginable, someone in contact with the future, and a group of very powerful super heroes to contrast him.
Everyone do his part, the character development is amazing, and the heroes understand themselves better on every scene.
They are all flawed, perfection is never put on the table, maybe the Germans, but it is so to underline the power of imperfections.
Everything is great, modern and with a love for Rome and Gigi Proietti in every scene.
There are incredible creepy scenes when it comes to depict the real horror of war, and when the partisans sung bella ciao The atmosphere goes super dark.
It's also a lyric that underline the importance of harmony in differences and it is sagacious to put it in the hand of the racists.
Recitation, photography, special effects, and many more details are finally getting modern in Italian movies, for me it was absurd that we still did movies like in the '50 and never try something new.
I loved it and I hope this movie will get the merits he deserves; but I sense someone will try to destroy the movie to avoid confrontation.
Good but not Freaking Good
Tweetienator7 March 2022
The best quality of Freaks Out are some nice visuals and that somewhat crazy story. But to be honest, the movie never reaches the highs of the classic The Wizard of Oz or the momentum and explosion of action of Guardians of the Galaxy (inspiration sources co-author Guaglianone mentioned in some interviews). I also detect some similarities to movies like Pan's Labyrinth, Hugo, Hellboy and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Anyway, production is good, acting solid, the story interesting enough, but in the end just a blend of many ideas of some different sources. Anyway, if you like one or all of those movies mentioned, you may take your chances with Freaks Out. Exact rate 5 + 1 for the wild blend.
and i DO mean a 10!
imizrahi20027 March 2022
This is the sort of movie i wait for that only comes around once every few years...magic incarnate...
and, by no means, a fairy tale...but it has everything...
what a great story...
a 7.3...what a joke...go ahead and miss it and deplete your life of this great experience...
Don't have to hide from Hollywood!
irusvirus5 July 2023
A really good movie that was a bit too long towards the end. 15 minutes less to the film not harmed. Above all, you have to mention the incredibly well-made special effects at this point! There was only one scene where the Uncanny Valley started. I could name dozens of new films, especially from Hollywood, which have a higher budget and worse effects. The whole topic around the Nazis is also fully covered from beginning to end, and I mean that in a positive and funny sense. The story itself is not insanely special, but manages to entertain. I give the film 7/10 stars and can recommend it well.
Good start, meh mid / ending
michele-mutti8420 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Nord Italian here.
The beginning is good with the introduction of the freaks and the movie throws us in the drama of the war.
CONS: The problems start with the evil dude: he can see in the future when he is on drugs and he draws it. Like an Heroes' Isaac Mendez, but dull. Because some master scenes he has seen never happen...
Two of the many "coincidences":
After too many sad/violent/death scenes there is a joke from one of our characters.
Matilde goes from "don't wanna hurt anyone!" to kill plenty nazis without regret. Also Cencio with the body covered full of bees is not very credible.
The absolutely no-sense story love between Cencio and Matilde.
It's too long
The characters are not so much developed and look kinda plain.
The beginning is good with the introduction of the freaks and the movie throws us in the drama of the war.
CONS: The problems start with the evil dude: he can see in the future when he is on drugs and he draws it. Like an Heroes' Isaac Mendez, but dull. Because some master scenes he has seen never happen...
Two of the many "coincidences":
- Matilde found the right truck with Israel in
- The partigiani were in the right place, in the right moment for the last battle: but how they could have known that the train would stop there?
After too many sad/violent/death scenes there is a joke from one of our characters.
Matilde goes from "don't wanna hurt anyone!" to kill plenty nazis without regret. Also Cencio with the body covered full of bees is not very credible.
The absolutely no-sense story love between Cencio and Matilde.
It's too long
The characters are not so much developed and look kinda plain.
not too much
francescoariaudo4 June 2022
An average film with a good recitation but *personaly* a scenografy and cgi that could be better. The ambientation is good and also the original version of it and th storyline is pretty good but a bit too unrealistic.
A rather extraordinary movie...
paul_haakonsen11 September 2022
Now, I had never heard about this 2021 Italian fantasy drama titled "Freaks Out" from writers Nicola Guaglianone and Gabriele Mainetti prior to now in 2022 as I had the opportunity to sit down and watch it. And since I hadn't already seen this movie, of course I opted to sit down and watch it.
The storyline was rather good, and it was a nice combination of various genres. It worked out well, because the story was interesting, entertaining and had a good feeling to it. It was a movie that combined circus life with World War II and strong friendships and bonds.
I am not particularly familiar with the Italian cinema, so I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in "Freaks Out", but I will say that they put on good performances and carried the movie quite well with believable and realistic performances.
Something that was quite nice in "Freaks Out" was the fact that the Germans actually spoke German. It just adds so much to a movie, instead of those thickly accented English attempts of portraying a foreign language.
Visually then "Freaks Out" was quite good. I liked the special effects and the visuals in the movie, it brought so much enjoyment to the movie, and it helped to build realistic and loveable characters, as well as presenting memorable locations.
If you haven't already seen director Gabriele Mainetti's 2021 movie "Freaks Out", then you should definitely do so if you get the chance.
My rating of "Freaks Out" lands on a six out of ten stars.
The storyline was rather good, and it was a nice combination of various genres. It worked out well, because the story was interesting, entertaining and had a good feeling to it. It was a movie that combined circus life with World War II and strong friendships and bonds.
I am not particularly familiar with the Italian cinema, so I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in "Freaks Out", but I will say that they put on good performances and carried the movie quite well with believable and realistic performances.
Something that was quite nice in "Freaks Out" was the fact that the Germans actually spoke German. It just adds so much to a movie, instead of those thickly accented English attempts of portraying a foreign language.
Visually then "Freaks Out" was quite good. I liked the special effects and the visuals in the movie, it brought so much enjoyment to the movie, and it helped to build realistic and loveable characters, as well as presenting memorable locations.
If you haven't already seen director Gabriele Mainetti's 2021 movie "Freaks Out", then you should definitely do so if you get the chance.
My rating of "Freaks Out" lands on a six out of ten stars.
Circus Freaks and Nazis
pebsdad19 January 2023
If you think you've seen that one before, you probably have.
The film follows 4 circus "freaks" with special powers who are pursued by an evil Nazi (redundant, yes, but this guy was REALLY evil). OK, one didn't really have a "power", more like a special "feature".
First the good...this movie looks GREAT! The production design is terrific. I cannot comment on Italian cinema but I was very impressed with the overall look. I was very jazzed thru the first third of the film for what it might have in store. The circus scenes were quite fantastical and fun.
However, the film doesn't know what it wants to be. If they had stayed in the circus lane that would have been a good story. But then the Nazis show up (as I guess they do sooner or later) and the film becomes WAY overly violent and graphic like a war film. The final battle towards the end goes on FOREVER. Mix the genres, OK, but show some restraint. It is also not original with some of its reveals and seems to rip off a number of other TV series and films (Indiana Jones, the Others, Umbrella Academy). At 140 minutes, it is also too long and needed a hard edit, down to 105 minutes.
Watch the first hour and then turn it off. You won't miss anything relevant to the story.
The film follows 4 circus "freaks" with special powers who are pursued by an evil Nazi (redundant, yes, but this guy was REALLY evil). OK, one didn't really have a "power", more like a special "feature".
First the good...this movie looks GREAT! The production design is terrific. I cannot comment on Italian cinema but I was very impressed with the overall look. I was very jazzed thru the first third of the film for what it might have in store. The circus scenes were quite fantastical and fun.
However, the film doesn't know what it wants to be. If they had stayed in the circus lane that would have been a good story. But then the Nazis show up (as I guess they do sooner or later) and the film becomes WAY overly violent and graphic like a war film. The final battle towards the end goes on FOREVER. Mix the genres, OK, but show some restraint. It is also not original with some of its reveals and seems to rip off a number of other TV series and films (Indiana Jones, the Others, Umbrella Academy). At 140 minutes, it is also too long and needed a hard edit, down to 105 minutes.
Watch the first hour and then turn it off. You won't miss anything relevant to the story.
This freaked me out!
xnicofingerx22 June 2023
Wow, that came out of nowhere for me. A surprise, and what a positive one. Released in 2021, 2022 here in Germany only at the Fantasy Film Festival, unfortunately only there on the big screen, now here on disc. What a shame, especially when you see what rubbish finds its way into cinemas, and that's where this film really belongs.
Essentially, in terms of content, a European superhero variant, or better here also differentiated from the Hollywood counterpart: People with special abilities / characteristics. So less pathos and more real life. If you had to describe the basic vibe, I too would like to quote Del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth" or De La Iglesia's "Mad Circus", or of course the classic Tod Browning's "Freaks". With a bit of cinematic justice, "Freaks Out" will also reach aforementioned jams.
The whole thing is packed with versatile and memorable characters in a story that never gets boring or loses the thread, which serves many genres: fantasy, horror, historical film, war film, fairy tale, thriller, action, drama, adventure. Wow, that's almost all of them. There's even a bit of romance and, without question, comedy.
As a German, I must of course single out Franz Rogowski, (once again) what a performance! With him, I always wonder for a moment how he can be here on screen, but then follows a performance that always more than dispels all these questions, almost sweeps them away. Without question our best man at the moment!
Essentially, in terms of content, a European superhero variant, or better here also differentiated from the Hollywood counterpart: People with special abilities / characteristics. So less pathos and more real life. If you had to describe the basic vibe, I too would like to quote Del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth" or De La Iglesia's "Mad Circus", or of course the classic Tod Browning's "Freaks". With a bit of cinematic justice, "Freaks Out" will also reach aforementioned jams.
The whole thing is packed with versatile and memorable characters in a story that never gets boring or loses the thread, which serves many genres: fantasy, horror, historical film, war film, fairy tale, thriller, action, drama, adventure. Wow, that's almost all of them. There's even a bit of romance and, without question, comedy.
As a German, I must of course single out Franz Rogowski, (once again) what a performance! With him, I always wonder for a moment how he can be here on screen, but then follows a performance that always more than dispels all these questions, almost sweeps them away. Without question our best man at the moment!
Matilde, so obnoxious.
mostafa-9954523 June 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I liked this movie, but:
Matilde is traumatized by an event in her past.
That is why her behaviour is understandable - at first.
The longer i watched this movie, the more she got really unnerving.
At one scene she ran straight out of a field on a really dangerous road...really irresponsible. I was furious. And i kind of understand the hunchback's reaction later on.
She got from being relatable to really stupid and obnoxious later on.
In the "fire scene" i stopped watching, then i created an imdb-account to write this review. I will continue the movie now and surely there will be a satisfying happy end.
Because of her character i gave only 6 points. The ending will not change my mind.
Matilde is traumatized by an event in her past.
That is why her behaviour is understandable - at first.
The longer i watched this movie, the more she got really unnerving.
At one scene she ran straight out of a field on a really dangerous road...really irresponsible. I was furious. And i kind of understand the hunchback's reaction later on.
She got from being relatable to really stupid and obnoxious later on.
In the "fire scene" i stopped watching, then i created an imdb-account to write this review. I will continue the movie now and surely there will be a satisfying happy end.
Because of her character i gave only 6 points. The ending will not change my mind.
Awesome start, could end better
mcolazilli15 November 2021
A really well told fable, a spaghetti superhero movie. Don't expect avengers or ironman like movie, here heroes have fears, hunger and they don't pretend to save the whole world, they are not superheroes, they are freaks! Give this movie a chance and you'll not regret.
Check it if you're bored and got nothing better to do
MoviesAreEmptyNow26 June 2022
I don't regret seeing it but would not view a second time. It's a sort of Marvel + Inglorious Basterds, just worse in both aspects. It's a bit long and it didn't make a proper use of one of the most important aspects of the plot - the ability to see into the future. Also, you gain nothing from seeing it , really, apart from learning a few swear words in Italian.
Wonderful gem
ghizmooo17 May 2022
Nothing to write home about
borgolarici8 April 2022
As other reviewers have already mentioned, this movie is a mix between Marvel and Fellini. But imho a rather unconvincing one. It suffers from all the flaws of the modern Italian cinema (somewhat unprofessional acting, the omnipresent farcical approach to WWII, a certain unnecessary sappiness).
It's an ok movie but nothing more and certainly nothing new.
It's an ok movie but nothing more and certainly nothing new.
Beautiful
gianmarcoronconi11 April 2022
Freaks or normal?
marinaesposito11 December 2021
The protagonists of Freaks Out are not spotless and fearless heroes, they do not carry the fate of humanity on their shoulders. In the eyes of the world they are freaks of nature, bestial creatures who, by dint of being pointed out as freak phenomena, begin to convince themselves of it and almost to self-pity. Inside them, however, an irrepressible humanity burns: they suffer, rejoice, love and make mistakes like anyone else. The diversified and multifaceted characterization of the four protagonists calls into question an inconsistent and problematic category such as that of the so-called "normal" to open up to an ode to diversity, no longer understood as absolute compared to a usual paradigm, but as the uniqueness of each being human.
Amazing Movie!
steveatwal20 March 2022
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