Review of Wild Tales (2014) by Cole J — 07 Apr 2015

Damián Szifron's Wild Tales is a six film anthology connected through the underlying insanity of the human race. One its most remarkable achievements is that it feels like one film, even though it isn't. It's darkly funny with superbly crafted dialogue and unpredictable story. A wild ride, and more.

It might not be worth going into each individual story. I found it fun not knowing exactly what to expect, but with each, you can expect to be surprised. Each story seems to start with characters pretending to be regular members of society, and this mask tears away as the story develops tension and eventually implodes or explodes on itself; often both.

The movie has a damn clever screenplay that deserved more Oscar consideration last year. The dialogue is sharp and witty, with tons of purposeful black comedy. The characters all feel dimensional despite the short running time of the stories. Even when a character doesn't have a ton of personality, they never succumb to stereotypes and are played by the wonderful cast with hidden depth. When there seems to be a villain or hero in a story, Szifron blurs this line. The protagonists and antagonists in each film are brilliantly given equal weight, and we understand both sides. This gets across the idea that everybody in the film is crazy in some way or another.

The ensemble cast is excellent here. The actors nail Szifron's sometimes complicated tone, where the characters need to feel realistic, take themselves seriously, and still be funny.

There is not a weak link in the cast, just as there is no weak link in the stories. Each short feels perfectly placed and compliments its surrounding shorts, with drama taking over a bit in a welcome way by the fifth story. The shorts have lots of variety in both character and story, and feel connected and progressive in structure and theme. The final short ends as a celebration of all the craziness before it, embracing the inner animal in us all.

Szifron's direction is just stylish enough and tonally precise. Some individual shots fit impressively well, like the final shot of the first film, which I won't spoil, but it's incredible.

The movie's a whole lot of fun and I think anyone will enjoy it. Fans of Tarantino or Almodovar in particular may find pleasure, but even if you hate those guys, you'll still like Wild Tales because it's a work of its own. It's a romp, for sure, but it's unexpectedly more. Think of the title sequence, which is an African safari slideshow of animals. That's what the movie is. It's a wild safari with humans on display.