Wild Tales

The stories “Audi vs. redneck” and “a betrayed pregnant girl” are masterpieces – the former thanks to its atmosphere and filmmaking imaginativeness, the latter thanks to its dialogue and brutal escalation of an already hellish situation. The opening pre-credit scene is also great, with an unforgettable transition to the title of the film. The other stories were decent, though the last one could’ve been shorter, as it sometimes gets too long-winded and self-obsessed. As a whole, the movie is inconsistent both in its feel and formal aspects, but always fun enough. Finally, someone aptly filmed our daily social anxieties and disagreements with the system. (07/23/2014)

Probably the best movie entertainment of the year so far. Six stories packed black humour (and surprisingly brutal at times) with the common theme of the exasperation and the rage of ordinary people in ordinary situations that lead to situations that are not at all ordinary. The stories are uniform in terms of quality – of course, there are some that I liked less than others (the best for me were, redneck, the bomber engineer and the ruined wedding), but I wouldn’t say any of them is a significant drop in quality. If I had to complain about anything, is that some of the twists and turns were predictable a bit earlier than they should. A point less for that, but highly recommended nonetheless. (09/25/2014)

The calculated push for mischievous points forces the viewer to not take the creative effort too seriously. That’s quite a shame, considering that morally I only liked the engineering odyssey and that the wedding revelry offered everything that its predecessors didn't, i.e., above all, a twisted merry-go-round of absurdity that presents those cynical life messages with utter sovereignty and ease, as if life itself had written them. I can't help but think that the filmmakers were capable of more. (12/29/2014)

I didn’t really know what to expect from Wild Tales. A movie consisting of short stories usually has some interesting parts and some not so. But this movie has executed it perfectly. In my opinion, not one of those six short stories was mediocre, let alone bad. Some were prefect and some were “only” great. After I watched this movie, I realized that I have never watched a short-story movie that would already make me excited to see another story right after I’ve finished one, but Wild Tales have managed to do this with zero problems and won me over with each story. I liked the one where the two guys beat each other up by that bridge the most. I watched this for the Challenge Tour 2015. (04/09/2015)

Argentine bachelor's stories with a bloody coat of paint, sometimes insanely convulsive (the introductory Pasternak barely holds up as a TV sketch, even if the authors of Pečený sněhulák would tear off Szifron's hands), attacks on social criticism killed in shallow morals (jBombito and a story with a wreck), all character limits, structurally and ideologically defensible by the fact that they are "stories" and similar reductivity pertains to them. There is nothing to object to - I just claim that this is an unbalanced film, more for fun than really entertaining and it is explicitly shallow in its more ambitious moments. Only the final wedding is really "wild", but even then one’s smile is replaced by a slightly raised eyebrow. Purely filmed, audience-friendly, but otherwise absolutely amounting to consumer goods. It can be justified by the fact that the (un) ordinary absurdity of existence coincides with the films of Roy Andersson, but Szifron's film does not even come close to its penetration and vision. [60%] (09/10/2014)

Latin American Czech show Bachelors but this time cynical. None of the short stories lack a basic idea (if nothing else), but without exception, everyone here more or less lacks more elaboration of the introductory "cynical teaser", it does not hit the right note, it lacks gradation and punchline. Szifron has good ideas, but someone else should have written it for him in the form of a script. This is a waste of good potential, which still works mainly thanks to the duo of segments "Auto squabble" and "gritty bash". (04/30/2016)

A few more or less crazy stories that definitely don't spare the viewer. You don't know whether to cry, laugh, or maybe turn it off to keep your sanity. But the adrenaline that flows under the skin of all the characters will ultimately decide for you. You simply must watch this. Each of the stories is mediocre at the very least, but most of them are powerfully above average. I was most excited about the wedding and the tire. 4.5 stars. (03/01/2016)

Once I visited a psychiatrist and anxiously asked him if I was okay, as I am constantly faced with increasingly intense cravings to strangle my children. He assured me that it is a part of almost every parent's fate and that he also experiences it. He said alcohol helps him, and when he doesn't know what to do next, instead of using cutting, stabbing, or shooting weapons, it is better to take out a little ball and squeeze it in the palms until completely calm. Unfortunately, the heroes of Argentine film stories do not use a ball and give full expression to their emotions seasoned with typical South American temperament. I consider this black comedy, which looks at society's flaws and human weaknesses with sarcastic detachment, to be the most pleasant film surprise of 2014. I somehow identified with the humor of Wild Tales and especially envy the protagonist of the first story for his uncompromising efforts because only a few of us have the ability to bring things to a perfect end. Out of the 6 stories, I consider 5 of them to be highly outstanding, while one somewhat does not fit into the overall poetic and comedic style and either the screenwriter should have added a bit more exaggeration and comedic tone, or he should have left it out completely. But that doesn't change the fact that I enjoyed this film about the corruption of the system, albeit differently from the others. Overall impression: 90%. (12/02/2014)

Wild Tales has become the number one must-see film of the year. It’s been promoted everywhere. The truth is that it doesn't actually hurt. It's a series of stories that handle anecdotal situations in which the main characters have lost their nerve. The point is thus clear - everyone would like to experience revenge on their former teacher, transport company, or cheating husband. Straightforwardness is valued as genius nowadays. (11/01/2014)

Wild Tales that get the nerves flowing, strain to bursting and they do burst, but the cynical diaphragm also comes into its own. The driver war clearly won it for me, but I can't say that the other stones in this black-humored mosaic were much worse. True, I would have liked it even more if the writer/director had also interwoven the stories in other ways than the ubiquitous insanity, but that's probably the only flaw I noticed.___P.S. If I were to watch Falling Down now (which I was reminded of by the short story with a pyrotechnician), it might not end well with my surroundings. (04/03/2016)

Spicy stories "from real life" full of injustice, greed and anger, which as a whole may not have a pure and all-encompassing cinematic value, but each of them captivates or stuns with its formal creativity or truly killer twists. The opening sequence before the credits with the plane is a great lure with its amazing black-humour, while the rest are at least an unrelentingly distinctive ride, where the tale of two drivers on a road in the middle of nowhere is the formal peak that keeps most of the emotions to itself, but I still have almost exclusively words of praise – perhaps only the tale about the pitfalls of the towing service is a bit too out there with its bizarrely satirical twist. 85% (10/11/2015)

I wouldn't exactly call myself a fan of short story films. The quality of the individual stories often fluctuates, making it impossible for me to fully enjoy the film as a whole. However, this film was devoid of such flaws, so I was able to enjoy every moment. More importantly, it wasn’t just black humor but pitch-black gallows humor, which suited my inner sneaky self perfectly. I imagine that some viewers might condemn the filmmakers for such a view of serious matters. I strongly don’t recommend this film to the gentle, romantic souls, for whom even picking a flower is an act of violence. The rest of you should go for it. There’s a chance you’ll find a hidden enthusiast in your subconscious, who will have a blast. / Lesson learned: Every action has its consequences. (10/15/2022)