Circo on AllMovie

A man's loyalties are tested under the big top in this documentary from director Aaron Schock. Circo Mexico is a small family-run carnival that's been making its way through small towns in the Mexican countryside for years. While the show was never quite a spectacular, its circumstances are far shabbier than they once were, and Tino Ponce, who runs Circo Mexico, struggles to keep it afloat. Ponce's parents trusted him to carry on the family's performing tradition, and he's brought his own children into the show as he tries to keep the dream alive. But Ponce's wife is no longer convinced that the show should go on, and he's caught between following the dream instilled in him by his folks or following his wife's wishes and moving on to a career with a more stable future. Circo follows Ponce and his carnival as they travel the back roads, offering a bit of tarnished showbiz glamour at each stop while struggling to keep the tradition from fading out. Circo was an official selection at the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival.