Cert 15
A roller coaster ride, co-produced by Pedro Almodovar, through six unrelated vignettes, with the primordial desire for revenge common to all. Argentinian director Szifrón is in full artistic flourish as the excesses of his protagonists are realised in dark dramatic form. In equal parts grotesque, savage and comedic, this is a film which documents all our frustrations with the world, and shows how easily we could descend into anarchy. [It] “also colourfully displays the film’s most attractive trait – what Szifrón calls ‘the undeniable pleasure of losing control’”. Mar Diestro-Dupido, Sight and Sound. (Cert 15)
Dir: Damián Szifrón 119mins Argentina/Sp 2014
Programme Notes
The films of South America are among the most exhilarating in world cinema today and, in tonight’s screening, director Damian Szifron challenges us with six vignettes freely based on explorations of human behaviour in extremis. The set-piece segments, Pasternak, The Rats, Road to Hell, Little Bomb, The Proposal and Until Death Do Us Part, present us with six unrelated scenarios – but revenge, loss of control and the grotesque are common to all.
Szifron pulls no punches in his depiction of the frequent violent behaviour of his vengeful protagonists but manages to portray enough humanity in this darkest of black comedies to keep the viewer engaged. Whilst in real life we struggle to behave in a controlled and responsible way in a world which grows ever more perplexing, Szifron allows his characters ‘the undeniable pleasure of losing control’.
Brace yourself for a bumpy ride!
“Wild Tales takes a scalpel to a whole range of issues such as class conflict, corruption, everyday misogyny and sexism, patriarchal bullying, machismo, poverty, tensions between rural and urban folk – and exposes our mad impulses toward self-destruction and one-upmanship” Martin Conterio, Cine Vue
Salgado (in Pasternak) – Dario Grandinetti
Cocinera (in The Rats) – Rita Cortese
Mario (in Road to Hell) – Walter Donado
Simon (in Little Bomb) – Ricardo Darin
Mauricio (in The Proposal) – Oscar Martinez
Romina (in Until Death Do Us Part) – Erica Rivas
Director – Damian Szifron
Producers – Augustine & Pedro Almodovar
Screenplay – Damian Szifron
Cinematography – Javier Julia
Music – Gustavo Santaolalla
Comments
Just great – excellent choice of film. Many thanks
Like a South American Tales of the Unexpected, with clever framing, solid visual effects and plenty of memorable moments. Please may we have more from this director!
What a night! Excellent to show a film that is so different
I loved the humour – it put the British sort in the shade!
Brilliant but totally exhausting – I was glad when it ended
Surprises galore!
Cleverly constructed. Does love always triumph?
The best was the (first) ‘plane-crash section. Incredible and clever film, with camera work from unusual angles. It had violence to make you scream with shock and turn away as well as comedy too!
Some episodes better than others (the first, with the airliner, was best). Kept you interested throughout
The opening was better than Bond! Enjoyable and totally different
Fun – and inventive
Uninhibited fun
A laugh, for a change!
A good, disjointed, laugh
Move over Cohen brothers!
A pack of six. Not one dud
Entertaining but a bit over the top
Good fun but got a bit silly at the end
A pretty fair combination of entertaining episodes
A mixed bag
Quite violent and funny but a bit too long
Boring and uneventful is not how I would describe this film!
Strictly undone dancing
Pasternak was OK – otherwise too violent, too crooked but above all too loud and too long. I
wouldn’t want to drive a car in Argentina!