Review // Wild Tales

[projekktor id=’17934′]

Argentine writer director Damián Szifron makes one hell of a revenge movie. His outrageous anthology film Wild Tales features six short films on one topic – revenge. Whether deserved or not the extreme actions by the characters results in laughs. Part comedy, part searing social commentary, Szifron tackles issues that the audience is bound to connect to including road rage, bureaucratic red tape, and adultery.

There are six tales in the Academy Award nominated anthology film. First is “Pasternak”, a quick short that sets the mood for the entire film – comedy mixed with dread. It is a tale of a diabolical psychopath who decides to trap all his perceived enemies on a doomed plane ride. Next is “The Rats”, which tells the tale of two women working in a deserted truck stop dinner who get the chance to murder a corrupt local loan shark when he shows up alone for a meal. Cut to “The Strongest”, which is essentially a pissing contest between a boisterous redneck and an uptight yuppie. The story starts off with a case of passive aggressive road rage and quickly builds into an all-out battle. Then there is “Little Bomb”, a quiet tale of a man who can’t stand the injustice of the motor vehicle department and his quest to demand respect from the faceless bureaucratic organization. Szifron then flips the narrative with “The Proposal”. Seen from the perspective of a wealthy father, the story doesn’t focus on revenge outright but instead follows the tribulations of Mauricio as he covers up the misdeeds of his teenage son. Following the proposal comes the wedding in “Until Death Do Us Part”. My favourite short from the anthology takes place during the wedding reception of Romi and Ariel. Not your average Bridezilla, when Romi realizes that Ariel cheated on her, she takes revenge to a whole new level. As far as narrative goes, each story sets the line, proceeds to cross it, and then goes even further. In doing so there is a sense of utter disbelief and fantasy established that allows the audience to let their guard down and embrace the liberating retribution in each film.

It takes a very clever story teller to weave together such extreme stories into something comedic and ultimately cathartic. Many anthology projects tend to have issues establishing tone, or only have one or two worthwhile stories; that’s not true for Wild Tales. With Szifron writing and directing each short, the film avoids the common pitfall of anthology projects – while each film has its distinct vision, there is still a unified theme and tone to the film as a whole. Wild Tales is an absolutely outrageous experience, and one worth having in theatres this weekend.

Reviewed by Vithiya Murugadas.