Phare Ponleu Selpak is the name of a real little circus in a real little town in Cambodia, Battambang, where countless kids have trained and performed, essentially changing their lives for the better. Due to the pandemic however, the circus has been closed and the school struggles to survive. Yoshiro Hamada shot “A Little Circus” last December in the area during the pandemic, in an effort to highlight the issue and the Circus School itself, in one of the most impressive “quarantine films” we have seen.
A Little Circus is screening at Skip City International D-Cinema Festival
Theara is one of those young boys who attends the school, practicing in the morning and giving shows at night, with the initial scene highlighting the joy these endeavours give to both the performers and the audience. Theara's family is poor, and his father is away working, but all of them seem happy. However, when Covid hits Campodia, the school and the circus close down, while his father also stops sending him an allowance. Not seeing any other way out, Theara gets a job in construction, while all his former schoolmates continue training. Eventually, he even manages to win substantial sums, as he improves in the work, but his longing for the circus never actually ceases.
This longing is presented excellently in one of the most impactful scenes in the movie, with the gaze of Theara as his friends are clowning on top of one of the building's his company was constructing speaking volumes about his real feelings, in a scene that also highlights the great acting by Nov Lyheng. Furthermore, Yoshiro Osaka presents a meaningful antithesis, by showing how happy Theara is for being able to buy home entertainment equipment with the money from his new job, but also that the melancholia of longing for the circus never actually leaves him. Subsequently, Ohara seems to state that, despite the temporary benefits, kids the age of the protagonist are not meant to work in back-breaking jobs in order to make a living, in a rather pointed social comment.
In general, the presentation of the circus is rather impressive, with Shinya Matsuo doing a great job in the portrayal of all the training, the acrobatics and the clowning, focusing on the joy the endeavor gives to everyone involved. His mid and long shots during the day in particular are a wonder to look at, as is the case with the close ups during the night, while his use of coloring, ideal. Furthermore, and through the combination of Yoshiro Osaka's own editing and Robin Sab's music, the short frequently functions as a rather appealing music video, emitting an intense sense of nostalgia, without, though, becoming melodramatic at any point.
“A Little Circus” is an outstanding short film, that manages to highlight its purpose and overall comments through a rather impressive presentation.
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