Wild Tales

Wednesday 15^th October, 9pm – Curzon Soho

The six short films amalgamated into Wild Tales cover plenty of ground: part action, part romance, and with more than a little thriller thrown in for good measure, you could argue that the film is a little disjointed. But if there’s one thing you can be sure of, Wild Tales gets black comedy.

Revenge is a definite theme: the six stories show the responses of the smallest of infringements to the most grievous of actions, but the resolutions on offer are rarely in kind. There’s a waitress who attempts to keep her murderous cook in check, a musician who manages to get back at every critic and ex-girlfriend he’s ever had, and even a slighted newlywed on the day of her wedding.

Violence is a constant in each of the stories, and it’s at its most powerful when it’s least expected. It’s occasionally brutal and often comical, but plays a vital part in each of the 20-minute tales, yanking the audience back from slapstick comedy to a gritty and ominous reality. 

As with any collection of short films, there tends to be a fair amount of disparity, although it hits far more often than it misses. The bottom end of this uneven collection concerns the plight of a well-off middle-aged man in Europe, which as you’d imagine is uncompelling to say the least. It’s well produced, and there’s still more than a few gags to keep viewers entertained, but it doesn’t quite pack the punch of the other, smarter, stories.

Fortunately, the film ends on a high note, just as it starts; without spoiling too much, it maintains the dark, absurd comedy of the rest of the collection. For a little guilty entertainment, you won’t do much better at this year’s London Film Festival. It’s dark, it’s gritty and it’s bags of fun.

Joe Lewis

Wild Tales is released in the UK on 15^th October 2014.

For further information about the BFI London Film Festival visit here.

Read more reviews from the festival here.

Watch the trailer for Wild Tales here: