Madrid, 1973. A sad clown goes to work in a circus plagued by a violent psychopath.

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Son of a clown imprisoned by Franco’s minions during the Spanish Civil War, Javier is shy and self-effacing, as he begins his job as a circus clown in 1973 Madrid. He soon falls for Natalia, who is regularly mistreated by Sergio, a psychopath who tyrannizes the whole circus troupe. After standing up to Sergio and disfiguring him, Javier escapes into the countryside, where he lives like an animal, until the day he comes face-to-face with none other than Franco and the general who jailed his father...

Starting out like a historical war film, Balada de la trompeta triste changes genres every half hour, turning from circus fairy tale in the style of Fellini or Pierre Etaix into a horror flick, then a love story and an urban thriller rich in shoot-em ups worthy of Scarface. Unfortunately, it gets bogged down by exaggerated acting and an overblown score. As the French saying goes: if you chase too many rabbits at once, you won't catch any at all.