Fenix (Axel Jodorowsky) in Santa Sangre 1989

Description

Santa Sangre is a bizarre psychological horror film directed and written by Alejandro Jodorowsky a famous Chilean-Spanish director who does art-house type films. The film is written with the help of Claudio Argento a Italian film producer. The film came out in 1989 and tells the story of a circus boy name Fenix and his young adult life.The film takes place in Mexico and most of the actors are of Spanish heritage.

Summary

Santa Sangre starts off with a really bizarre scene of the main character Fenix (Axel Jodorowsky) perched on a tree naked in the mental asylum he is confined to, with his doctor trying to get him to come down with some raw fish on a plate. Fenix climbs down and then eats it. The film then flashes back to his childhood in the traveling circus called “Circus Gringo.”Both his mom named Concha (Blanca Guerra) and his dad named Orgo (Guy Stockwell) work in the circus. His mom also runs a religious cult named Holy Blood. Their patron saint is a little girl who was raped and her two arms cut off. Concha in the film you see right away is very disturbed.

Young Fenix (Adan Jodorowsky) and Young Alma (Faviola Elenka Tapia) in Santa Sangre 1989

She becomes extremely violent whenever she sees her husband Orgo with a tattooed woman (Thelma Tixou) who carries around with her a deaf and mute girl named Alma. Alma (Sabrina Dennison) is a girl the “Tattooed Woman” took in off the streets. She is seen working as a Mime as a child in the circus. One day Concha sees Orgo with the “Tattooed Woman” and gets a bottle of acid and pours it on Orgo’s genitals. Orgo becomes enraged and chops off Concha’s arms with his throwing knives before stumbling around and slitting his own throat.

Blanca Guerra as Concha in Santa Sangre 1989

You then see that Fenix was watching the whole thing while crying with the “Tattooed Woman” and Alma leaving in their vehicle. The film shifts to present day with Fenix escaping the mental hospital with the help of his now armless mother. They now both work in their newly created stage act called “Concha and Her Magic Hands,” along with the midget Aladin (Jesús Juárez ) that was friends with Fenix as a child. Fenix with being under Choncha’s mind control and acting as her arms go on a killing spree first killing the now a prostitute madam “Tattooed Woman” who has been pimping Alma ever since leaving the Circus. Eventually Fenix escapes his madness and breaks free of his mother’s control with the help of Alma in a scene when they finally meet each other again after so long. Two tortured souls falling in love.

Santa Sangre: The Review

The ending scene makes you wonder if Concha was really alive after she lost her arms and all the killings were just hallucinations by Fenix and he was lost in his own mind. The film has a lot of vivid imagery along with religious symbolism. The murder scenes are quite graphic and well done. My film Blu-Ray version disc has three language options. I have watched it in both Spanish and English. It gives you a third option of Italian mono language.

Axel Jodorowsky is the son of the Director Alejandro Jodorowsky. The film is considered Alejandro Jodorowsky greatest film. It was originally released in the US to a NC-17 rating in the very limited screening it received when it first came out. Severin Films are responsible for the DVD and Blu-Ray releases and included tons of extras on the disc’s.

Santa Sangre Film Review: Done by Rancel

Santa Sangre Trailer