Freaks Out
Offering a wild ride to say the least, Gabriele Mainetti returns with an epic period fantasy, set in 1943, concerning circus “freaks” on the run from a deranged 12-fingered Nazi pianist who, having prophesied Hitler’s suicide, seeks to harness their “powers” to prevent it.
Q&A with Gabriele Mainetti on June 9
Offering a wild ride to say the least, Gabriele Mainetti (whose previous feature, They Call Me Jeeg, made waves at Open Roads in 2016) returns with an epic period fantasy that must be seen to be believed. Set in 1943, the film follows the “freaks” of the Circus Mezzapiotta (whose proprietor, Israel, is Jewish), as some of them are duped into taking jobs at the Berlin Zircus in Nazi-occupied Rome, run by a deranged 12-fingered pianist (Franz Rogowski) who has had a prophetic vision of Hitler’s eventual suicide. Believing that the freaks’ abilities, which resemble superpowers, are key to prolonging the Führer’s life, he captures and tortures our heroes in the hopes of harnessing them as weapons. How will they save themselves? Suffice it to say, Mainetti teases out the endgame with a wealth of imagination, boldness, and dazzling imagery.
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