Cuor di vagabondo: Circus life and bad choices

Is it worth the time?

Look, if you have a soft spot for grainy, old-fashioned melodrama where everyone is constantly wringing their hands, sure. Watch it. If you want something that moves faster than a turtle in molasses, skip it. It’s for the folks who like their cinema served with a side of over-dramatic longing and zero sense of urgency.

The whole premise is just one big, dusty misunderstanding. Our lead is this rich boy who catches feelings for a perfume girl, but something goes sideways, and suddenly he’s trading his silk shirts for the rough life of a traveling performer. It feels a bit like watching someone try to start a new life because they forgot how to talk to their crush.

The circus isn't as fun as you’d think

You’d expect the circus to be vibrant, right? Full of life? Nah. The cinematography feels like it was shot through a thick layer of attic dust. The performers look like they’ve seen too much and enjoyed none of it. It’s strangely bleak, which actually makes it kind of fascinating. It reminded me a bit of the suffocating, trapped energy in The Smiling Madame Beudet, just with more acrobats.

There’s this one scene where he’s just sitting there, staring at the scenery, and you can tell he’s regretting his life choices in real-time. It goes on for an eternity. I think the camera operator might have actually fallen asleep.

• The perfume girl is barely a character, she’s just an excuse for the plot to happen.
• The circus troupe extras look like they’d rather be literally anywhere else.
• The lighting makes everyone look like they have a mild case of the flu.

It’s not exactly a feel-good romp. It has this weird, heavy energy that clings to the screen. Sometimes, the way the actors stand around reminds me of the stiff, awkward pacing in Mother and Child. Nobody seems to know what to do with their hands when they aren't performing.

I guess if I were a rich kid, I’d probably find something better to do than follow a circus around Europe. But then again, I’m not a character in a 1930s drama, am I? Some of these people make decisions that make you want to reach into the screen and shake them. Honestly, the movie gets a bit better when it stops trying to be romantic and just lets everyone be miserable in the mud.

It’s an uneven watch. There are moments where you think, 'Oh, this might actually go somewhere,' and then it just turns into another shot of a wagon wheel turning. It’s not great, but it’s definitely something you haven't seen a thousand times before. 🤡