The Oscars and Time Magazine agreed, nominating Wild Tales for best foreign film and claiming it as one of 2014’s best movies respectively.
I don’t disagree though I have a tough time with gratuitous man on man violence. I just can’t bear to watch or listen to the punching, hitting, etc. In Wild Tales, one scene in particular went on way too long, not only for my sensitive psyche, but also for basic principles of reality.
Here’s where you shout, “It’s only a movie!”
That being said, while “Wild Tales” was difficult to watch, the after taste was delicious.
The six tales were each uniquely spectacular and all hinged on the concept of vengeance. The final score on the movie message of revenge resulting in a positive outcome was closer than the NCAA Kentucky/Notre Dame game, meaning a dead even tie. The old saying, ‘the best revenge is living well is probably still best practice. Karma seems to take care of us all (for better or worse) in the end.
The six mini stories were:
1. jilted lover and bully revenge (-)
2. familial honor vengeance (+)
3. stranger road rage payback (-)
4. revenge against vehicular carelessness (-)
5. bureaucratic justice (+)
6. jilted lover revenge (+)
Wild Tales was visually stunning. The cinematography was gorgeous from the desolation of a rural arid landscape, to the extravagance of an expensive wedding. Two scenes in particular in which a man in beige sweater and khakis stares out a sliding window of a similarly hued house and an evening highrise rooftop backdrop to bride and a chef in innocent white were particularly appealing.
Aurally the film ruled as well. Bobby Womack’s Fly Me to the Moon? Heaven!
Fly Me to the Moon
Bravo to Damián Szifron for a fun joy ride.
