24/02/2025 - BERLINALE 2025: In Julia Lemke and Anna Koch’s documentary, awarded a Generation Kplus Special Mention, the show must go on – but mostly off stage

Everyone hates the circus these days, right? Wrong. In the gentle documentary Circusboy [+see also:
interview: Julia Lemke, Anna Koch
film profile] – awarded a Special Mention in the Berlinale’s Generation Kplus strand (see the news) – Julia Lemke and Anna Koch once again explore an environment that nobody really knows but that everyone has an opinion on. Previously, it was the rodeo – in Glitter & Dust [+see also:
trailer
interview: Anna Koch, Julia Lemke
film profile], they followed aspiring cowgirls. Now, it’s time for a circusboy. Literally.

For little Santino, things are clear: the circus is home, and it’s the only one he’s ever known, just like his parents and his grandparents. Nobody questions it here, and nobody wants to leave – at least not since his grandma had to say goodbye to her house, ages ago. Now, they all have their caravans, and before you know it, they will be on their way.

It’s not like Lemke and Koch don’t know what people are complaining about – accusations of animal cruelty are immediately addressed here. But their goal isn’t to deliver a biting commentary on what the idea of the circus might mean today and whether it’s even needed: they are interested in showing what it’s like to grow up inside of it, just like Santino does. It’s a sweet film for, and about, family. Trapeze artists, dancers and clowns have to take a backseat.

It helps that Santino’s family is exceptionally warm and affectionate. They are not afraid of big words – climbing a tree earns you a “come down, I can’t live without you!” – they are always together, and they actually listen to each other’s stories. You will almost get jealous sometimes. Maybe all this kindness is there to cover up the simple fact that the circus is hard work. Performing is the least of their problems – moving around, building the stage and hammering those tent pegs in is what their daily routine is really about. “We are workers, we are artists. We do everything,” says Santino’s grandfather. They seem to enjoy it, still, but nobody pretends that things will get any easier for the next generation.

Santino’s parents are already fighting for their survival, and their kids will have to fight even more. But they seem determined to continue, for some reason, and part of it might have to do with this community’s past. It’s the kind of life that’s always had to deal with rejection and suspicion, and even violence – also during World War II. How can you give it up, if it cost others their lives?

Lemke and Koch don’t ignore these darker revelations, but they never forget about their target audience – once the stories get really tragic, they switch to animation. These scenes, animated by Magda Kreps and Lea Majeran, make some parts less drastic but never undermine all this pain. There’s a lot of pain in the circus, that’s for sure. But there’s also joy, and most of it comes from being together – whether it’s inside that tent, with some popcorn, or after the audience has left. This is no place for a loner.

Circusboy was produced by Germany’s Flare Film, and its world sales are handled by Pluto Film.

Photogallery 17/02/2025: Berlinale 2025 - Circusboy

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Julia Lemke, Anna Koch
© 2024 Dario Caruso for Cineuropa - dario-caruso.fr, @studio.photo.dar, Dario Caruso