Sunday, March 22, 2015

Wild Tales (Relatos salvajes - 2014)

Readers of these pages know that Jack and I love sick, twisted humor and this one hits the spot in six artfully combined shorts about revenge in Argentina. Nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar, it's hilarious. Spanish master Pedro Almodóvar is advertised as a producer and his colorful fingerprints are everywhere. The only cast member familiar to us was Ricardo Darín (The Secret in Their Eyes) as the handsome explosives engineer in the segment "Bombita," but I want to point out a couple of other noteworthy performances: Rita Cortese as the cook in "The Rats" and Erica Rivas as the bride in "Til Death Do Us Part."

Damián Szifron, an Argentinean TV director/writer, directs and wrote the script(s), swinging expertly from languid to frenzied. I enjoyed the look of the picture (shot by Javier Julia) in its six very different settings, including a beautiful road in the hills, a wealthy family's house, a downscale diner, and a fancy Jewish wedding.

Music by Gustavo Santaolalla (last blogged for August: Osage County) complements the many moods and tracks can be streamed from this playlist, with advertising.

You don't need to take our word for it, as Rotten Tomatoes' critics and audiences are in sync with us, averaging 93% and 94% respectively. Jack has a question for the writer: were the elderly couple on the lawn chairs the pilot's parents? You'll understand after you see it, which you must.

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