Despite what the title and the global plot might suggest, Freaks Vs. The Reich (2021), or Freaks Out as it was its original title, it is centered more on a fantastic story in the frame of the war drama than a surreal crazy comedy.
The movie is set during World War II in occupied Rome where a group of circus performers endowed with supernatural powers band together to fight the oppressive Nazi regime’s occupation of Italy.
Looking to flee the Nazi menace for the shores of America are four super-powered circus performers: there’s beautiful, young, electrically-charged Matilde, Cencio, an albino with the ability to control insects, Mario, a dwarf graced with magnetic powers, and Fulvio, a strongman covered from head to toe with hair. On their heels is the psychotic Franz, an ether-addicted, six-fingered Nazi who runs the nearby circus and believes that the supernaturally gifted quartet will help him turn the tide of the war, delivering the ultimate victory for Hitler and the Reich. Will the “freaks” be able to escape the grasp of the brutal Nazis or will their incredible powers be harnessed in a way that could change both their destinies and the entire course of history forever?
This Italian and Belgium production has been produced, written, and directed by Gabriele Mainetti. This is his second movie after the awards-winner action drama They Call Me Jeeg (2015). His frequent collaborator Nicola Guaglianone has been the co-writer of the screenplay.
Claudio Santamaria, Aurora Giovinazzo, Pietro Castellitto, Giancarlo Martini, Giorgio Tirabassi, Max Mazzotta, Franz Rogowski, Francesca Anna Bellucci, Michelangelo Dalisi, Olivier Bony, Emilio De Marchi, Eric Godon, Sebastian Hülk, and Anna Tenta form the main cast.
Since its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, Freaks Vs. The Reich (2021) has had a long festival run these last years where it has collected a significant amount of winnings and nominations in prestigious festivals like Fantastic Fest, Busan International Film Festival, Sitges Film Festival, Rotterdam International Film Festival, Göteborg Film Festival, and Palm Springs International Film Festival.
The specialized media has said about the movie “[it] will have you crying, laughing, wincing, and smiling as it tells its epic story of belonging and embracing your weirdness” – Kat Hughes, THN, “A Shoah-reversing fantasy of liberation and revenge, like a superheroic spin on Tarantino‘s Inglorious Basterds (2009)” – Anton Bitel, Projected Figured, “Delightful and spectacular, a deserved crowd pleaser”– Ard Vijn, Screen Anarchy, and “A gutsy mix of historical drama and off-kilter science fiction thriller… [that] feels like a superior X-Men film without the costumes and with a much stronger narrative” – Rob Aldam, Backseat Mafia.
Freaks Vs. The Reich (2021) is opening in selected theaters in the USA on April 28, 2023, and will later come out on Video on Demand and digital platforms by VMI Worldwide. Watch its official trailer here.
