The film noir, which will be released in the United States on Friday (January 19 in France), is Guillermo del Toro's first feature film since his Oscar nomination for "The Shape of Water".

It stars Bradley Cooper as a traveling "medium" who sets up a scam to extract their fortune from wealthy clients.

For the purposes of the film, the director had a life-size replica of the great American fairgrounds of the time built, with a circus tent and pavilions.

One finds there in particular the "geek shows" in which the unfortunate people were pushed to carry out acts as loathsome as degrading, like beheading a chicken with the teeth, in exchange for a little alcohol or drugs.

"It is an indictment of a certain form of ambition, of a certain form of capitalism or exploitation of others", summarizes the actor Willem Dafoe, who plays the huckster responsible for attracting the barge , Clem Hoately.

"It was a wonderful world, although a little dark," he said at a press conference.

The story of the film is taken from a novel by William Lindsay Gresham, already adapted to the cinema in 1947. We follow Stan Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) integrating the troupe of the fair and quickly becoming a master in the art of mentalism.

American actor Bradley Cooper in Los Angeles on April 22, 2019 VALERIE MACON AFP

But he eventually grew tired of cheating on regular customers with the help of coded messages exchanged with his assistant Molly (Rooney Mara).

Stan meets a psychiatrist, femme fatale played by Cate Blanchett, with whom he fools millionaires wishing to meet in the afterlife with dead loves.

"There is a void in him, and a need to have more, more and always more", explains Guillermo del Toro.

Provoke compassion

With "The Shape of Water" (Oscar for best feature film and best director in 2018), the Mexican filmmaker spun a metaphor on racism and the rejection of those who are different through an impossible love story unfolding in a military laboratory during the Cold War.

"Nightmare Alley" may take place in the 1940s, but for him it is above all a film capturing "the anguish of our time".

"We didn't want to make a film about this period, but about the present," he assures us.

"This moment where we are and where we have to make the difference between true story, false story and reality, it is so important", insists the director.

The film, a strong contender for the upcoming Oscars, was noted for performances by Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett, as well as for its extravagant sets.

"We built the entire fun fair. And when we were halfway there, the Covid hit. When we came back, we discovered that half of the tents had been blown by the wind", said remembers designer Tamara Deverell.

Willem Dafoe, who was drawn to the "darkly romantic" world of fairgrounds as a child, says he was inspired for his performance by all these very detailed and realistic sets.

American actor Willem Dafoe in Los Angeles on December 13, 2021 VALERIE MACON AFP

The actor explains that he was seduced by del Toro's project, which often puts at the heart of his films "creatures, marginalized people, monsters and other people outside of our society".

“He humanizes these people and provokes our understanding and compassion in all of his films,” says Dafoe.

© 2021 AFP