Fantasia – Imagine a part of the world undergoes an event of a cataclysmic nature, and the sole survivors are clowns.
That’s right …. CLOWNS!
And those survivors represent every clown category imaginable. Hack clowns, kids’ party clowns, mime clowns and scary clowns that are straight out of the pages of Stephen King’s It. Add an aspiring journalist who is looking for that big scoop that will give her that big career break, then you have the premise for the hysterically outlandish Irish comedy Apocalypse Clown, which played to two sold out crowds during its world premiere at this year’s Fantasia film festival.
A series of solar flares cause a power surge that leaves most of Ireland in the dark. While attending the funeral for a veteran clown, four of those Irish clowns — Bobo, the Great Alphonso, Pepe and Funzo — are arrested for causing a fight during the service. While spending overnight in their cells, and while they’re asleep, the cataclysm happens that borders on the apocalyptic. The morning after, the foursome, along with journalist Jenny Malone, pile into Bobo’s stereotypical clown car and try to find a way through this post-disaster landscape to tell the rest of the world of this new apocalypse that befell upon Ireland.
But it’s not that easy. Funzo is pursued by a pair of vengeful public square human statues, Alphonso wants to stage his comeback show at his own theme park to an audience of “village of the damned” children, and Bobo wants to reconnect with Jenny, who once had a one night stand with Bobo (and regretted every second of it).
Apocalypse Clown is an unrelentingly funny dark comedy. It gives one of the most outrageous survival scenarios involving one of the most under appreciated and long-reviled group of entertainers around. But what makes this movie such an anarchistic treat to watch is the strong performances by its Irish ensemble cast, especially Natalie Palamides, who steals the show with her totally insane performance as the Pennywise wannabe Funzo/Janet.
If you missed both screenings at Fantasia, don’t flip your clown wig. Apocalypse Clown will go into general release this fall, and you will find out what would happen if the clowns do inherit the Earth, floppy shoes and all.
Other articles from mtltimes.ca – totimes.ca – otttimes.ca
