In March 2020, the pandemic shut down 44 shows presented by Cirque du Soleil around the world. After laying off 95% of its employees, or more than 4,500 people, the entertainment giant, visibly shaken, nearly went bankrupt. Opening with very eloquent images of empty seats and deserted workshops, the documentary by American Dawn Porter Circus of the Sun. Without a Net finds very endearing protagonists among the artists without whom the Circus would not exist.
One of the organization’s greatest artistic and financial successes, the show O is inseparable from the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, the place where it was created in 1998 by Franco Dragone (in the film, the Belgian director, who died in 2022, speaks with emotion about the genesis of the work). In 2019, the aquatic show had reached 10,000 performances. In July 2021, when health measures were relaxed, O was one of the first Cirque du Soleil productions to return to service. Since then, 16 other shows have been revived in 68 cities around the world.
Without a net immortalizes the efforts that led to the show’s recovery Oin eight weeks of intensive work. Produced by Cirque du Soleil, the documentary, full of dazzling numbers, is not without a promotional dimension. We cannot escape slogans like ” The Intermission Is Over “, nor to the empty speeches on the importance of art as a means of eradicating the gloom spread by the pandemic. Fortunately, we quickly leave the Montreal headquarters to go and join the artists and artisans behind the scenes.
There are the costumes, the sets, the apparatus and the lighting to be restored, the immense swimming pool to be filled, but above all the acrobats, the dancers, the swimmers, the divers and the clowns who must get back into optimal shape. The director paints a portrait of several American, French and Argentinian artists. She evokes their professional careers, the challenges that the show poses for them, the dedication that has brought them this far, but without ruling out a few forays into their personal history, and sometimes even their love life. Among the most endearing individuals, there is Amber Basgall, an acrobat who addresses her physical and emotional injuries with disarming honesty, and Bill May, an artistic swimmer who has devoted 16 years of his life to O.
Three weeks before the premiere, the tone changes, the pressure mounts. At that point, let’s just say that Pierre Parisien, the senior artistic director, is less patient. Representing this microcosm in all its complexity, showing the determination as well as the discouragement, the extraordinary cohesion that the circus demands, that’s the main quality of this documentary. Let’s be clear, we don’t learn anything fundamentally new, but we have the privilege of observing the resilience of the artists, their physical and moral strength, their talent and their know-how. As for the last twenty minutes, which are a feast for the eyes, we must admit that they make us terribly want to attend the show.