The Dance of Reality (2014)
89%RT Audience Score: 82%
Awards & Nominations: 4 wins & 7 nominations
This long-overdue return from Alejandro Jodorowsky finds him just as overflowing with imagination — and heart — as fans have come to expect.
The Dance of Reality is like a wild dream that you can’t quite explain but can’t stop thinking about. Jodorowsky’s surreal imagery and circus-like performances may not be for everyone, but for those willing to take the ride, it’s a thunderously weird and wonderful experience. It’s like a fever dream that you don’t want to wake up from, and even if you don’t quite understand it, you’ll be glad that it exists. Plus, who doesn’t love a good parade?
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros., Natant Stanley Kubrick Productions,
Distributor
ABCKO Films
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Santiago, Chile
MPAA / Certificate
Unrated
Year of Release
2013
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 10m
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Language(s):Spanish
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Country of origin:Chile, France
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 23, 2014 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 18, 2016
Genre(s)
Biography/Fantasy
Keyword(s)
biography, fantasy, childhood, Chile, social, political, imagination, heart, Alejandro Jodorowsky, directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky, written by Alejandro Jodorowsky, produced by Moisés Cosío, produced by Alejandro Jodorowsky, produced by Michel Seydoux, starring Brontis Jodorowsky, starring Pamela Flores, starring Jeremias Herskovits, starring Alejandro Jodorowsky, starring Bastián Bodenhöfer, starring Adan Jodorowsky, box office gross $165.9K, critic reviews, reviewed by Mark Kermode, reviewed by Kate Muir, reviewed by David Jenkins, reviewed by Michael Sragow, reviewed by Michael Phillips, reviewed by Matthew Lickona, reviewed by Michael J Casey, reviewed by Dustin Chang, reviewed by Oscar Goff, reviewed by C.J Prince, reviewed by May Leitz, MPAA rating, ABCKO Films
Worldwide gross: $558,636
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $709,662
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,665
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 77,390
US/Canada gross: $293,680
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $373,076
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,405
US/Canada opening weekend: $24,768
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $31,464
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,355
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $3,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $3,811,044
Production budget ranking: 1,950
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $2,052,247
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$5,153,629
ROI to date (est.): -88%
ROI ranking: 1,948
Pamela Flores – Sara
Jeremias Herskovits – Alejandro as a child
Alejandro Jodorowsky – Alejandro as an Adult
Bastián Bodenhöfer – Carlos Ibáñes
Adan Jodorowsky – Anarchist
Director(s)
Alejandro Jodorowsky
Writer(s)
Alejandro Jodorowsky
Producer(s)
Moisés Cosío, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Michel Seydoux
Film Festivals
South by Southwest, Cannes
Awards & Nominations
4 wins & 7 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (64) | Top Critics (30) | Fresh (60) | Rotten (4)
This is the work of someone coming to terms with their past, transmuting the traumas of childhood into the building blocks of adult awareness.
August 23, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Mark Kermode
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
At first the film seems overly stagey, and those with little time for circus acts may find it irritating, but when Jodorowsky hits his surreal stride.
August 20, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Kate Muir
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
You may not know what to think of it, but you’ll be glad that it exists.
August 20, 2015 | Rating: 3/5
David Jenkins
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
Say this about the godfather of midnight movies, Alejandro Jodorowsky: He loves a parade and he puts on a doozy
December 8, 2014 | Rating: B+
Michael Sragow
Orange County Register
TOP CRITIC
A lot of the film doesn’t quite click, either as dream imagery or something more conventional. But there’s a spirit and a yearning in it that’s undeniable and bracing.
December 8, 2014 | Rating: 3/4
Michael Phillips
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
The loony-goony visuals are still in play, but there’s a sympathy for the audience, a desire to put things to good and even meaningful use.
June 20, 2014 | Rating: 2/5
Matthew Lickona
San Diego Reader
TOP CRITIC
‘Dance of Reality’ has its moments of pure Jodorowsky. It will be up to each viewer to decide if that sentence is praise or pejorative.
December 3, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/5
Michael J. Casey
Michael J. Cinema
In this dream we called life, Jodorowsky is dreaming us, us playing part as audience. Who’s dreaming Jodorowsky the filmmaker? Cinephiles of course. The Dance of Reality is his much softer, lyrical contemplation of life.
February 22, 2021
Dustin Chang
Floating World
Taken on its own merits, it is a thunderously weird and wonderful movie, filled with scenes and images that won’t leave you anytime soon.
July 24, 2019
Oscar Goff
Boston Hassle
The Dance of Reality may suffer from some indulgences, but one can’t really blame Jodorowsky for indulging after such a long absence.
June 19, 2019 | Rating: 7.3/10
C.J. Prince
Way Too Indie
This man hasn’t made a film in 23 years, and he’s still flawless.
January 5, 2019
May Leitz
Nyx Fears
… an unexpected and appealing comeback.
August 31, 2018
Steve Erickson
Nashville Scene…
Plot
“The Dance of Reality” is a fanciful interpretation of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s childhood, set against Chile’s turbulent social and political environment.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Alejandro Jodorowsky, the director of The Dance of Reality, is also known for his work as a writer, actor, and comic book creator.
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