The Great Flip-Off

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• 2018
• 1 hr 27 mins
• Documentary

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• Watchlist

The Great Flip-Off follows extreme circus bareback riding families in what may be their final feat against the loss of their livelihood and the death of their art form. Join these legendary families from Italy, Mexico, Hungary and France as they bring the history, risk and beauty of the original circus act to a multi-generational audience, one last time in Orlando, Florida. Then, return 10 years later to discover how these families have dealt with the passing of time in a range of unusual happy endings and ultimate heartbreak. In 2006, we meet the best-of-the-best bareback artists past and present -- The Donnerts, the Turveys, The Suarezes, the Zamperla-Zoppes, Timi Loyal and Mark Karoly. Each family holds a unique place in American circus riding history. They are competitors that agree to unite for a one night performance for the sake of keeping their art alive. From the seventh generation Italian Zamperla Zoppes, to the Donnerts who escaped from communist Hungary, to the Loyals of London who joined forces with the Mexican Suarez family, not only will their bold skill draw you in, but the interpersonal portrait of their family will capture your heart and submerge you into a fascinating world. Jumping through flaming hoops and executing somersaults high into the big-top while bareback on magnificent steeds does not make them flinch. For these families, fear is not felt at the face of their daring stunts, but rather at the pending unknown: their future without a ring. Fast-forward to 2016. Pushed by the modern climate, elephants are banned from the circus and the Big Top landscape is altered once again. It's a new era when animal rights are in full swing, and the most successful circuses leave behind animal acts, along with the financial burden associated with animal care and travel. We reunite with the bareback riding families 10 years later to find out how they've dealt with these changes, mere months before Ringling announces the closure of the legendary Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus after 146 years. The fate of the American Circus seems almost certain, leaving the future of bareback riding more ambiguous than ever.