What a Circus

What a Circus

Real life for one person can look like madness to another! Aglaia Szyszkowitz and Friedrich von Thun a.k.a. guest house owner Sophie and barn resident Barthl have visitors: the broke and broken "Poldini Circus" is sheltering on the Fuchsbichler farm! Through their guests, the odd couple must deal with anti-Roma prejudices and outright discrimination. For the first time, Ngo The Chau takes the helm on "Living the Dream". Directing from behind the camera, he brings circus flair to the Alpine idyll. Guest-starring acting legend Winfried Glatzeder as a sad clown and Zejhun Demirov, known for the Mediathek series "Almania", as a charming magician. 

The once tranquil Alpine meadows are in uproar. When a fire destroys the big top, circus animals flee in fear trampling through neat front gardens. On the Fuchsbichler farm, Sophie (Aglaia Szyszkowitz) and her barn resident Barthl (Friedrich von Thun) also have an unwelcome visit from a camel and a zebra. Unlike the police and the municipal council, however, the ever-obliging guest house owner and committed mayor does not see it as a question of guilt or responsibility for damages. Dispensing with bureaucracy, she offers the small family circus – now facing ruin after the fire – shelter on her property. Her daughter Leonie (Carolin Garnier) is delighted! While the Paris returnee takes an interest in the magician Adriano (Zejhun Demirov), Barthl does his best to avoid their guests. A childhood trauma associated with the Roma has resurfaced. He starts to work through his resentments, however, when he strikes up an unlikely friendship with circus boss Mateo (Winfried Glatzeder), who discovers that the cranky Bavarian farmer has a hidden talent for clowning. Sophie too must find the right way to deal with the advances of the self-assured artist Django (Cem Aydin) …

The topics of sustainability and mindfulness are perennial issues on the agenda of Western societies and often manifest in a form of newly acquired “Landlust", a desire to live off the land. The film is an entertaining depiction of what such a new start in the countryside could actually mean professionally and privately – for three generations of people. With Aglaia Szyszkowitz and Friedrich von Thun (“Schindler’s list”, “Cold Hell”) in the leading roles.