"After setting a house on fire, he wanders to a nearby carnival, where something catches his eye: a geek show. Not to be confused with our contemporary understanding of geek culture, a geek in the carnival world was a desperate man chasing chickens and devouring them. Geeks were often addicts paid in booze or narcotics. This geek Stan encounters is treated appallingly, locked up in a cage when not performing. Yet Stan can't hide his fascination."
"In the carnival, Stan comes into his own, using his artistic abilities and natural charm to learn a trick that, in the wrong hands, could unleash havoc. He falls in love with a performer, Molly (Rooney Mara), and the pair dream of a life beyond the carnival with riches and comforts they could only imagine. At a show, Stan runs into Lilith (Cate Blanchett), and the pair concoct a scheme that could give them both everything they ever wanted."
Guillermo del Toro directs a noir outlier that replaces his usual monsters with morally monstrous humans. Stanton 'Stan' Carlisle, down on his luck after setting a house on fire, wanders into a carnival and becomes fascinated by a violent geek show. Under the wing of clairvoyant Zeema and her husband Pete, Stan refines a confidence trick using artistic skill and charm. He falls for performer Molly and dreams of escape. A chance meeting with Lilith spawns a scheme promising wealth and power. The narrative examines how ambition and deception corrode morality and unleash ruin.
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