Tairo is a lion tamer who successfully and happily performs in front of delighted crowds throughout rural Italy. With his acrobat girlfriend, he lives what seems to be a carefree life, despite the inherent dangers of the profession. But when he loses his lucky iron horseshoe, Tairo finds himself unable to perform his pre-performance ritual, his anxieties mount, and he finds himself unable to tame lions, threatening not only his career but the circus itself. So Tairo sets out on a quest to find Arthur “Mister Universo” Robin, the circus strongman of years past who gave Tairo the amulet.
From the writing and directing team of Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel, whose two previous films were beautiful examinations of small-town Italian circuses, comes this equally magical film starring actual circus performers.
“[T]he Austrian-Italian duo’s airy docu-narrative approach once more yields wry, humane rewards.” — Variety
Director’s Biography
Tizza Covi: Born in Bolzano, Italy in 1971, Tizza Covi lived in Paris and Berlin before studying photography in Vienna. With Rainer Frimmel, she has worked on photography, theater and film projects since 1996. Her three features (including Mister Universo) examine the lives of circus performers who travel through rural Italy.
Rainer Frimmel: Rainer Frimmel was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1971. He graduated as a photographer from the Vienna Higher College for Graphic Art. He has received scholarships in Rome, Paris and New York for his photographic work.
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