History Film / StrangeCircus

This is the {{Gorn}} filled tale of murder, incest and suicide that wheelchair-bound novelist Taeko intends to write. With her {{Bishounen}} assistant Yuji she will figure out the truth behind her newest story and her own past as well. But will her constant nightmares become too much to bear?

* AbusiveParent: AND HOW!

** Sayrui get jealous of Mitsuko and tries to kill her when her husband is away.
** Mitsuko getting thrown down the stairs over a lost earring. [[spoiler:Thankfully she lives.]]

* AmnesiacHero: Taeko shows some signs of this. Not all of her backstory is told and she can't seem to remember who she was as a child. And [[spoiler:towards the end of the film, she admits to never knowing whether or not she was Mitsuko in the first place.]]

* BeneathTheMask: Happens to several characters, but namely Mitsuko's family and Yuji:

** Sayuri is a housewife who has been raped, abused and forced to watch her husband's perversions.
** Yuji is Taeko's assistant that works for her publisher [[spoiler:but it's revealed that he's actually Mitusko (?) all grown up and ready to go on a rampage for revenge]].

* BestServedCold: [[spoiler:Mitsuko grew up, had a sex change to become Yuji, worked to become Taeko's assistant so he could get in close to eventually get revenge by slicing off the limbs of her and Gozo with a chainsaw.]]
* {{Bishounen}}: Yuji looks handsome with his cheekbones and long flowing hair.
* BrokenBird: Mitsuko easily becomes this [[spoiler: which is shown later when she turns into Yuji. Having to be the agent to your mother who writes all her experiences as ''erotica'' probably doesn't help]].
* BungledSuicide: [[spoiler: Mistuko, which is why she ends up in a wheelchair. Actually it turns out that Mitsuko survived the fall and it's Sayuri who ''thinks'' she's Mitsuko who fakes being handicapped.]]
* CallingTheOldManOut: The climax is [[spoiler:Mitsuko, as Yuri, telling Sayuri, as Taeko, how much this woman was a horrible mother.]]
* CantHaveSexEver:
** Yuji is shown to be the only main character who tries to avoid sex. [[spoiler:Given that he was originally Mitsuko, that is entirely justified.]]
** [[spoiler:Averted with Taeko even if she is in a wheelchair]]
* ChainsawGood: [[spoiler:Yuji -- really Mitsuko -- amputated Gozo's arms and legs with this and then begins doing that to Taeko/Sayuri, because Taeko wished that the protagonist of her story became an amputee.]]

* DomesticAbuse

** The first line of Taeko's novel is how the daughter feels like she was going to be executed in place of her mother. [[spoiler:This sets up the BaitAndSwitch in that Mitsuko didn't die from falling down the stairs and how Sayuri instead became her daughter from the trauma.]]
** Yuji meets up with a group of people who willingly mutilated themselves, and opens up his shirt to them to expose his mutilations. Said mutilations were [[spoiler: part of a sex change from Mitsuko; those were her breasts.]]
** Yuji suggests that perhaps Taeko should have Gozo and Mitsuko amputated. [[spoiler:Come the end of the film Gozo is amputated...and Taeko/Sayuri (who believes she's Mitsuko) is next.]]
* FosterKid: [[spoiler:Mitsuko became one of these after she survived her tumble down the staircase.]]
* FreakOut: Taeko has these in the climax when [[spoiler:Yuri, really Mitsuko, has her remember what really happened in her so-called novel, and that she was really Sayuri this whole time and that she went as far as to kill Mitsuko.]]

* LaughingMad: Yuri starts laughing like a loon in the climax as he gets his revenge on Taeko [[spoiler:aka Sayuri.]]
* {{Leitmotif}}: The movie has some pretty amazing music despite its touchy subject matter.
* LoveMartyr:
** Gozo and Sayuri's marriage (if you could call it love)
** And Gozo's love for his daughter Mitsuko

* MostWritersAreWriters: Taeko [[spoiler:who started writing stories to hide the fact that she, as Sayuri, went so far as to push her daughter down the stairs]].

* RapeAsBackstory
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: The climax is essentially Yuji [[spoiler:as Mitsuko]] telling Taeko [[spoiler:who is really Sayuri]] off for how she was such an ''awful'' mother who allowed Gozo to rape her and then had the audacity to kill her.
* RewatchBonus: After knowing that Yuji is [[spoiler:Mitsuko]] in disguise, his reactions to Taeko take on a more meaningful light.
* SexSlave: We don't see this happen to wheelchair-bound Mitsuko [[spoiler:as a teen]] but her father [[spoiler:starts having multiple women over and having sex with them even when she's in the room. Even to the point of neglecting Mitsuko's needs such as going to the bathroom...Subverted because it's ''not'' Mitsuko but rather Sayuri believing she's Mitsuko]]

* SwallowTheKey: Remember that earring Sayuri told Mitsuko to find when she was dying? [[spoiler:One of Gozo's many [[SexSlave sex slaves]] swallows it in front of Mitsuko to make her suffer after Mitsuko begged her to give it back]]. [[spoiler:But it wasn't Mitsuko who saw the earring, it was Sayuri who ''thought'' she was Mitsuko.]]
* TraumaInducedAmnesia: [[spoiler:Sayuri gained this when she assumed she killed Mitsuko by pushing her down the stairs, and the horror that she would go as far as to kill her own daughter for something so petty breaks her, and she ends up thinking ''she'' is Mitsuko.]]

* AllForNothing: [[spoiler:Sayuri abuses her daughter for a stolen earring, going as far as to ''push her down the stairs''. It's later revealed that her daughter didn't know where it went; it was swallowed by one of Gozo's sex slaves.
* AmnesiacHero: Taeko shows some signs of this. Not all of her backstory is told and she can't seem to remember who she was as a child. And [[spoiler:towards the end of the film, she admits to never knowing whether or not she was Mitsuko in the first place]].

* BaitAndSwitch: We're lead to believe that Mitsuko killed her mother and that Taeko is actually an older Mitsuko. [[spoiler:Turns out Sayuri pushed Mitsuko down the stairs and thought she killed her -- she didn't -- and repressed her memory to the point that she thinks that ''she'' was Mitsuko and that Taeko is Sayuri the entire time.]]

* ChekhovsGun: The earring Sayuri almost killed Mitsuko for.
* CircusOfFear: The movie opens up with one, although the only thing that you might consider frightening about this particular circus is that they brought a guillotine onto the stage and asked if anyone in the audience wanted to die.

* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Mitsuko. Turns out she actually survived and went onto become Yuji.]]

** The first line of Taeko's novel is how the daughter feels like she was going to be executed in place of her mother . [[spoiler:This sets up the BaitAndSwitch in that Mitsuko didn't die from falling down the stairs and how Sayuri instead became her daughter from the trauma.]]

* WhamShot: Yuji unbuttons his shirt to Taeko to reveal [[spoiler:surgery scars where breasts would be.]]

-->'''Yuri:''' ''(as he's revving up a chainsaw in front of Taeko)'' You said you wanted to make the protagonist an amputee, right? ''Let me help you with that''.

* BaitAndSwitch: We're lead to believe that Mitsuko killed her mother and that Taeko is actually an older Mitsuko. [[spoiler:Turns out Sayuri pushed Mitsuko down the stairs and thought she killed her -- she didn't -- and repressed her memory to the point that she thinks that ''she'' was Mitsuko and that Taeko is Sayuri the entire time.]]

* BrokenBird: Mitsuko easily becomes this [[spoiler: which is shown later when she turns into Yuji]].

* ChainsawGood: [[spoiler:Yuji -- really Mitsuko -- amputated Gozo's arms and legs with this and then begins doing that to Taeko/Sayuri.]]

* TheDogBitesBack: Gozo gets this on both ends from his wife and daughter. [[spoiler:After he gets crippled, Sayuri gets to beat him around like she did to him. And then his daughter, who becomes Yuji, finishes it with a chainsaw.]]

** Yuji meets up with a group of people who willingly mutilated themselves, and opens up his shirt to expose his mutilations. Said mutilations were [[spoiler: part of a sex change from Mitsuko, those were her breasts.]]

* FreakOut: Taeko has these in the climax when [[spoiler:Yuri, really Mitsuko, has her remember what really happened in her so-called novel, and that she was really Sayuri this whole time.]]

* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler:Sayuri pushes Gozo down some stairs, crippling him. Considering all the shit he did to his wife and daughter, he got off easy. Then Yuji finishes the job with a chainsaw]]

* SwallowTheKey: Remember that earring Sayuri told Mitsuko to find when she was dying? [[spoiler:One of Gozo's many [[SexSlave sex slaves]] swallows it in front of Mitsuko to make her suffer after Mitsuko begged her to give it back]].
* TraumaInducedAmnesia: [[spoiler:Sayuri gained this when she assumed she killed Mitsuko by pushing her down the stairs, thinking that she was Mitsuko.]]

-->'''Yuji:''' But you wrote them [[spoiler:from the perspective of a child who killed her mother.]]
* WhamShot: Yuji unbuttons his shirt to reveal [[spoiler:surgery scars where breasts would be.]]

* MostWritersAreWriters: Taeko.

* {{Bishounen}}: Yuji

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Yuji suggests that perhaps Taeko should have Gozo and Mitsuko amputated. [[spoiler:Come the end of the film Gozo is amputated...and Taeko/Sayuri (who believes she's Mitsuko) is next.]]

** Mitsuko getting thrown down the stairs over a lost earring.

* BaitAndSwitch: We're lead to believe that Mitsuko killed her mother and that Taeko is actually an older Mitsuko. [[spoiler:Turns out Sayuri pushed Mitsuko down the stairs and thought she killed her -- she didn't -- and repressed her memory to the point that she thinks that she was Mitsuko and that Taeko is Sayuri the entire time.]]

* SexSlave: We don't see this happen to wheelchair-bound Mitsuko [[spoiler:as a teen]] but her father [[spoiler:starts having multiple women over and having sex with them even when she's in the room. Even to the point of neglecting Mitsuko's needs such as going to the bathroom...Subverted because it's ''not'' Mitsuko but rather Sayuri believing shie's Mitsuko]]

''Strange Circus'' is a Asian horror film by Sion Sono full of [[MindScrew mind screw]] and [[FridgeHorror/StrangeCircus Fridge Horror]]

* AllWomenAreLustful: In this movie they are, Mitsuko being the only exception
* AmnesiacHero: Taeko shows some signs of this. Not all of her backstory is told and she can't seem to remember who she was as a child. And [[spoiler:toward the end of the film, she admits to never knowing whether or not she was Mitsuko in the first place]].

* BestServedCold: [[spoiler:Mitsuko grew up, had a sex change to become Yuji, worked to become Taeko's assistant so he could get in close to eventually get revenge bu slicing off the limbs of her and Gozo with a chainsaw.]]

* BrokenBird: Mitsuko easily becomes this.

** Yuji is shown to be the only main character who tries to avoid sex.

* CloudCuckoolander: Taeko is somewhat of a ditz and spacey.

* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler:Sayuri pushes Gozo down some stairs, crippling him. Considering all the shit he did to his wife and daughter, he got off easy.]]

* MindScrew: This movie lives, eats and breathes {{MindScrew}}.

* OnceMoreWithClarity: At first it seems as if Sayuri died by falling down the stairs. [[spoiler:When it's seen again, it's the opposite. Mitsuko fell down the stairs (but survived) yet Sayuri thinks she killed her daughter.]]

* SwallowTheKey - Remember that earring Sayuri told Mitsuko to find when she was dying? [[spoiler:One of Gozo's many [[SexSlave sex slaves]] swallows it in front of Mitsuko to make her suffer after Mitsuko begged her to give it back]].
* WhamLine: The TwistEnding of the story starts when Yuji tells Taeko this.

* AbusiveParents - AND HOW!

* BungledSuicide: [[spoiler: Mistuko, which is why she ends up in a wheelchair.]]

* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Mitsuko]]

* IAmWho: Taeko begins to wonder who she is toward the end of the film. [[spoiler:She later learns that she's really Sayuri who believes she's MItsuko.
* LeitMotif: The movie has some pretty amazing music despite its touchy subject matter.

* SexSlave - We don't see this happen to wheelchair-bound Mitsuko [[spoiler:as a teen]] but her father [[spoiler:starts having multiple women over and having sex with them even when she's in the room. Even to the point of neglecting Mitsuko's needs such as going to the bathroom]]

* OffingTheOffspring - Sayuri attempts to do this because she's jealous of her [[FridgeHorror 12-year-old daughter having sex with her husband]].

* AllWomenAreLustful - In this movie they are, Mitsuko being the only exception
* AmnesiacHero - Taeko shows some signs of this. Not all of her backstory is told and she can't seem to remember who she was as a child. And [[spoiler:toward the end of the film, she admits to never knowing whether or not she was Mitsuko in the first place]].
* BeneathTheMask - Happens to several characters, but namely Mitsuko's family and Yuji:

* {{Bishounen}} - Yuji
* BrokenBird - Mitsuko easily becomes this.
* BungledSuicide - [[spoiler: Mistuko, which is why she ends up in a wheelchair.]]

* ChekhovsGun - The earring Sayuri almost killed Mitsuko for.
* CircusOfFear - The movie opens up with one, although the only thing that you might consider frightening about this particular circus is that they brought a guillotine onto the stage and asked if anyone in the audience wanted to die.
* CloudCuckoolander - Taeko is somewhat of a ditz and spacey.

* DrivenToSuicide - [[spoiler: Mitsuko]]
* InSeriesNickname - Taeko often calls Yuji 'Robo-chan' because of his somewhat robotic mannerisms.
* IAmWho - Taeko begins to wonder who she is toward the end of the film.
* LeitMotif - The movie has some pretty amazing music despite its touchy subject matter.

* MindScrew - This movie lives, eats and breathes {{MindScrew}}.
* MostWritersAreWriters - Taeko.

* ParentalIncest - Gozo rapes his daughter in front of his wife.

* Leitmotif - The movie has some pretty amazing music despite its touchy subject matter.

* LeiMotif - The movie has some pretty amazing music despite its touchy subject matter.

* CantHaveSexEver - Yuji is shown to be the only main character who tries to avoid sex.

* CircusOfFear - The movie opens up with one, although it's not particularly frightening.
** The only thing that you might consider frightening about this particular circus is that they brought a guillotine onto the stage and asked if anyone in the audience wanted to die.

* LoveMartyr - Gozo and Sayuri's marriage (if you could call it love)

* NotIfTheyEnjoyedItRationalization - Mitsuko hates having sex with her father, but feels as though she was becoming her mother [[spoiler:and when she becomes her mother, she claims to start enjoying the sex]]

* SwallowTheKey - Remember that earring Sayuri told Mitsuko to find when she was dying? [[spoiler:One of Gozo's many [[SexSlave sex slaves]] swallows it in front of Mitsuko to make her suffer after Mitsuko begged her to give it back]].

The film begins with 12 year old Mitsuko who accidently walks in on her parents, her school principal [[PervertDad father]] raping her [[AbusiveParents mother]].
Her father realizes this and one day invites his daughter to watch him and his wife having sex with Mitsuko locked in a cello case.
Having been forced to watch her parents love making, Mitsuko's pervert father decides it's [[ParentalIncest her turn]]. He locks his wife inside of the cello case and has his way with his daughter as his wife watches in horror.

This goes on without anyone at the school finding out, but over time, Mitsuko's mother [[AbusiveParents Sayuri]] becomes extremely jealous of her 12 year old daughter [[RapeAsDrama having sex with her father]]. Sayuri begins to [[OffingTheOffspring attempt to killing Mitsuko]] on multiple occasions when her husband Gozo is away. When Mitsuko finally stands up to her mother, she pushes her down the stairs, killing her. But even after the funeral, Mitsuko's abuse continues at the hands of her father.

** The only thing that you might consider frightening about this particular circus is that they brought a guillotine onto the stage and asked if someone wanted to die in the audience.

* LeiMotif - The movie has some pretty amazing music despite it's touchy subject matter.

** It's actually [[PlayingWithATrope played with]]. At the end, [[spoiler: the real Mitsuko rampages over the exact line that state this, showing that she herself '''DID NOT''' enjoy it.]]
* OffingTheOffspring - Sayuri attempts to do this because she's jealous of her [[FridgeHorror 12 year old daughter having sex with her husband]]
* ParentalIncest - Gozo rapes his daughter in front of his wife

* SexSlave - We don't see this happen to wheelchair bound Mitsuko [[spoiler:as a teen]] but, her father [[spoiler:starts having multiple women over, having sex with them even when she's in the room. Even to the point of neglecting Mitsuko's needs such as going to the bathroom]]

Strange Circus is a Asian horror film by Sion Sono full of [[MindScrew mind screw]] and [[FridgeHorror/StrangeCircus Fridge Horror]]