Coming to this re-watch after seeing both El Topo and The Holy Mountain in the past few weeks, I have started to think this is the weakest of the three. That's doesn't mean it is a bad film. I have talked a few times about how a Jodorowsky film from his heyday is neither good nor bad but more of an experience of color, imagery, and uncomfortable situations. Santa Sangre fits into that category as well but also feels a lot more linear. I mean, as linear as one of his films can be.
The movie tells the tale of Fenix, a boy born into a traveling carnival. His life is suddenly turned upside down when his mother exacts revenge on his unfaithful father in the most gruesome way she can think of. Throwing acid on his junk. Of course, he retaliates and murders his wife, leaving young Fenix alone and traumatized. The film then jumps into the future and follows adult Fenix through his stay in a mental institution, escape, and then what becomes of him. Santa Sangre has an absolute ton more to it than what I have written here, but I am sure that better writers than I have gone into detail about it. This, like other Jodorowsky films, needs to be experienced instead of read about.
Although still bizarre at its core, this film really feels as if it has the most streamlined story that I have seen from Jodorowsky. Although it dips off into side plots, imagery, and other random places, the main plot takes up most of the time here. Fenix's life is center stage and plays out bizarrely and crazily, but it still feels accessible. I admit, a few years ago, I would have probably liked this film a lot more for that reason. Now I have begun to enjoy the feeling of watching these films as a sum of their bizarre parts. They tell a story by connecting together image-laden moments and scenes that somehow feel detached from the whole while bringing it closer together. They can be confusing and hard to watch, and definitely need to be seen more than once to appreciate all they convey. Santa Sangre didn't feel that way to me. It felt finished if that makes any sense. After seeing The Holy Mountain and El Topo, I was left with the impression he wanted me and others to discover what the images and story meant to us. Santa Sangre, on the other hand, felt like it had a singular tale to tell. That is not necessarily a bad thing, and more of a nitpick from my own expectations.
All of that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy this film. It is still a feast of color, mostly red, and religious imagery, as well as featuring the Jodorowsky staple of little people, and those that may be considered not of the norm. The movie is still a captivating feast for the senses and the brain. I would happily recommend this, like I do any Jodowrowsky film I have seen, as a way to expand on what you watch and take you out of your comfort zone.