In a time of an oversaturation of superhero stories in both film and television, finding a unique fantasy-based story centered around superpowered individuals is an arduous task. Writer/Director Gabriele Mainetti (alongside co-writer Nicola Guaglianone) takes this challenge head-on and delivers a spellbindingly beautiful, audacious historical fantasy tale in the Italian-made Freaks VS The Reich (also titled Freaks Out).

The movie starts off in Italy in 1942, with a small circus run by Jewish magician Israel (Giorgio Tirabassi) and his small “family” of performers, all of whom possess fantastical abilities. The group consists of Matilde (Aurora Giovinazzo), who conducts electricity throughout her body and can’t touch anyone without harming them, Fulvio (Claudio Santamaria), a strongman covered in hair who has serious Chewbacca vibes, Cencio (Pietro Castellitto), an albino who can control insects to do his bidding, and Mario (Giancarlo Martini), who can attract and control metal objects. Though none are genetically related, they make it very clear this ragtag group of misfits is very much the only family they have, with Israel serving as their surrogate father.

This is during World War 2, though, and it isn’t long before their rural area is under attack by the Nazis. Wanting to escape the mayhem, Israel states that he can find a way to get them out of the country and to America – as long as they give him the funds to do so. He’s soon off on his mysterious journey to plan their salvation, but is captured by the regime before he can return to the group, effectively stranding them on their own.

This sets in motion the plot for the rest of the film, which consists of the four performers trying to locate Israel, while attempting to not be caught by the Nazis. Unfortunately for them, though, there’s the six fingered pianist and head of a large circus in Germany named Franz (Franz Rogowski), who also possesses an unnatural ability. He’s able to see the future, and because of this, knows Germany will lose the war and that Hitler will eventually commit suicide, and for some reason believes Matilde and company are the key to stopping these events from playing out. Can he capture them in time and change history? Will the group be able to locate Israel, if he’s even alive? And how will they hide their powers from the Reich? 

If all of this seems convoluted…well, it is. At over two hours, this is a longer film with a lot of time to dive deep into these storylines. On one hand, the movie needs that much time to properly convey each character’s arc and plot points, but on the other, it suffers from moments of slog. The characters themselves are compelling enough; in fact, they’re one of the best pieces of the entire movie. You care about them quickly, not just because they’re social outcasts, but because they’re likable and decent people who genuinely care about one another. And yes, there are a few glaringly obvious borrowings from franchises like X Men, The Avengers, and even The Wizard of Oz, but it’s near impossible to get away from that when tackling this premise.

Despite the bleakness of the various subject matters, this is a very beautiful movie, both in tone and actual cinematography. The lines between fantasy and reality are very obviously blurred, which leaves room for a mixture of rich, vibrant hues during the more magical scenes, and muted, chilled tones for the weighty moments. From a pure entertainment standpoint, the genre mashing and amalgamation of eras keeps this an intriguing piece. Franz’s ability to see into the future means he has the capacity to learn and perform music that won’t be conceived for decades, allowing for occasions for him to perform songs like Radiohead’s “Creep.” It’s an intriguing use of his power, and provides some much-needed levity during the more somber sections of the story.

Freaks VS The Reich can’t be denied for its ambitious endeavors while juggling heavy subject matters such as bigotry, totalitarianism, hate, and overt sexuality. It suffers from its own weight, though, and takes an inordinate amount of time to get to its climax. Taking all this in mind, it remains a compelling and striking multi-genre character study.