The Invisible Circus 2001

In the busying heart of San Francisco during the vibrant year of 1976, Phoebe O’Connor finds herself tormented by the lingering enigma surrounding her older sister, Faith, whose untimely death remains shrouded in mystery. Faith had mysteriously disappeared from the United States at the tender age of 12, only to be discovered lifeless at the edge of a cliff in Portugal a few years later. The official narrative claimed it was a suicide, but Phoebe, unconvinced, feels a compelling need to unravel the intricacies of her sister’s last days.

Defying her mother’s passionate pleas to abandon her quest, Phoebe embarks on a solitary expedition across Europe, propelled by an unquenchable thirst for knowledge about Faith’s final year. Her journey leads her to Amsterdam, where she encounters Faith’s enigmatic ex-lover, Wolf, an Englishman who had a significant role in Faith’s tumultuous life abroad. According to Wolf, Faith’s tragic descent into despair was ignited by a hazardous mix of drug indulgence, thrill-seeking, and hedonistic pursuits. He recounts their last summer together in July 1970, when Faith made the life-altering choice to affiliate herself with the Red Army Faction in Berlin.

As Phoebe grapples with vivid and haunting memories of her sister, Wolf offers her respite in his home alongside his French wife, Claire. Wolf’s unsettling reflections about Faith’s escalating interest in radical politics disturb him; he expresses his fear over her fervent enthusiasm for participation in protests. Meanwhile, Phoebe’s determination to retrace her sister’s steps intensifies, propelling her to uncover the stark truths shrouded in the past.

Initially hesitant, Wolf eventually succumbs to a sense of duty, and they embark on the journey to Portugal together. As their bond deepens and blossoms into romance, the two arrive at the coastal village where Faith met her tragic end. Upon reaching the very cliffs from where Faith took her final plunge, Wolf unveils crucial details about Faith’s connection to the Red Army Faction, including an incident involving a bomb in Berlin that led to the regrettable loss of an innocent life.

As Phoebe and Wolf walk the path to the site of Faith’s demise, they confront a disquieting realization: her death embodies not only her tortured psyche but is also a consequence of her entanglement with the Red Army Faction. In a moment steeped in emotion, Phoebe and Wolf embrace, their arms entwined as they light a candle in Faith’s honor within a nearby cathedral, solidifying their bond amidst the shadows of the past.