Wild Tales: When Humans Show Their Ugliness

Wild Tales

Wild Tales (Relatos Salvajes) is an Argentinian anthology of Spanish dark comedy. It depicts 6 unconnected tales when people showcase their ugliness, bad sides and worst manners.

This modern tale is about all of us the ugly side of humans. The humans who more often than not, behave in bizarre and non-sensical ways while coming across any sort of challenges and/or adversity. Therefore, the people in this film often act and react in absurd ways during times of pain, agony and distress. Thereby, we found this dark comedy to be witty and shocking. Not surprisingly, this film has been loved and feted with awards.

Trailer of the Wild Tales (Relatos Salvajes/2014) Movie

Trailer – Wild Tales (Relatos Salvajes/2014) Film | YouTube.

Spoilers Free review of the Wild Tales (Relatos Salvajes/2014) Movie

The introduction

We have no doubt, that Wild Tales movie is an international auteur, that deserves at least a big round of applause from all of its viewers. It boasts elements of comedy and tragedy in this film. With its six tales, it focuses on the quirks of modern society. These short stories (about 20-30 minutes in length) explore the mindless extremities of human behaviour when times are tough.

The story

We believe, that it would not be right for us to share the detailed stories and spoilers of this film here. Instead, we have shared a peek into each of the six wild tales in the following paragraphs shared below. We have shared the detailed synopsis of the six Wild Tales below. In case we have revealed any key plot information, then we are sorry friends. Do let us know and we shall modify this article accordingly.

So, what did we like in this film?

All six stories are thought-provoking. We loved all of these – cold, dark, violent, blast, dirty and poignant wild tales. Writer and director Damián Szifron has excelled in this movie.

Also, all the actors in its ensemble cast performed well in this quirky tale about uncontrolled rage. But the amazing acting by the actress Erica Rivas (Romina) in the “Hasta Que La Muerte Nos Separe” tale takes the cake. Then, there are other good acting by actors like Oscar Martínez (Mauricio), Rita Cortese (Cocinera), Germán De Silva (Casero) and others.

The conclusion

It is a chaotic and comical film. We think this intense and rowdy film is worth a watch, at least once. So, go ahead and watch this enjoyable film, when you get the chance.

Ratings of the Wild Tales (Relatos Salvajes/2014) Movie

FM’s rating4.05/5
Rotten Tomatoes ratings as of the date94% Tomatometer & 92% Audience Score
Critics Consensus / Rotten Tomatoes Wickedly hilarious and delightfully deranged, Wild Tales is a subversive satire that doubles as a uniformly entertaining anthology film.
FM & Rotten Tomatoes ratings – Wild Tales (Relatos Salvajes) movie.

Key details of the Wild Tales (Relatos Salvajes/2014) Movie

GenreComedy, Drama, Thriller
Age-RestrictionsA (18+) / R
Original language & titleSpanish & Relatos Salvajes (it means Wild Tales in English)
WriterDamián David Szifron, Germán Servidio (collaborating writer), Julian Loyola (collaborating writer)
DirectorDamián David Szifron
ReleasedAugust 2014
CastErica Rivas, Darío Grandinetti, María Marull, Mónica Villa, etc.
TaglinesWe can all lose control
About – Wild Tales / Relatos Salvajes.

Posters of 6 chapters of the Wild Tales (Relatos Salvajes/2014) movie

  • Wild Tales (Relatos Salvajes)
  • Wild Tales (Relatos Salvajes)
  • Wild Tales (Relatos Salvajes)
  • Wild Tales (Relatos Salvajes)
  • Wild Tales (Relatos Salvajes)
  • Wild Tales (Relatos Salvajes)

Spoilers Alert – the synopsis of 6 chapters of this anthology movie

1. PASTERNAK
all actions have consequences
YouTube link of the Trailer - Todas Las Acciones Tienen Consecuencias ~ All actions have consequences.

While chatting with a fellow passenger on an aeroplane, a model and a music critic become conscious of the fact that both of them know a common person named Gabriel Pasternak. And soon enough, they realise that every passenger and crew member of that plane is familiar with Gabriel Pasternak. Is this a mere coincidence or a quirk of fate or a well-thought-out plan or perhaps something else is happening about which no one knows?

This is the shortest of the six tales, so you will find out soon enough the ending of the ‘Pasternak’ story.

2. THE RATS
When you have nothing to lose, there is nothing to fear
Cuando No Tenes Nada Que Perder, No Hay Nada Que Temer ~ When you have nothing to lose, there is nothing to fear.

In a lonely roadside restaurant, a waitress recognizes the walk-in customer – it’s the rich man who had caused a tragic death in her poor family. Unable to control her emotions, the waitress explains his past misdeeds to the restaurant cook. So, the sympathetic cook suggests adding rat poison to his food, but the waitress flatly refuses. However, in this tale about the class conflict the tough-looking cook goes ahead with her poisonous plan.

Thereby, the cook and waitress bring into play a revenge plan that soon spirals out of control for all of them.

3. THE STRONGEST
Don’t start a fight you’re not willing to finish
No Empieces Una Pelea Que No Estas Dispuesto A Terminar ~ Don't start a fight you're not willing to finish.

The story about road rage sounds all too familiar around the world, and sometimes people completely lose their shit (pun intended) while raging against the other drivers. This tale adds a bit about the class conflict on a lone highway. So, we come across the usual/unusual confrontation between the poor man’s vehicle and the rich man’s expensive car; and how the situation escalates to the point of no return and tragic consequences.

4. BOMBITA
Patience has a limit
La Paciencia Tiene Un Limite ~ Patience has a limit.

On the important day of her daughter’s birthday, a demolition engineer has an angry argument with an employee of the towing company, when his car gets towed by a truck for parking in the wrong place. Although the demolition engineer insists that he did nothing wrong. That incident destroys the private and professional life of the engineer, as his wife files for divorce and takes the daughter away.

So, he patiently plots an act of revenge (or perhaps you can call it civil disobedience) against the corrupt towing company and the bureaucratic city hall, for all the grievances that they have caused to him.

5. THE DEAL/THE PROPOSAL
Everything is negotiated
Todo Se Negocia ~ Everything is negotiated.

When a brash son of a wealthy family kills a pregnant woman in a hit-and-run car accident in the nighttime. He safely reaches his palatial home and wakes his parents up to inform them about the horrible collision on the road. Then his father calls the lawyer and after they firm up the legal plan, the rich parents ask the poor gardener to take the blame instead of their boy.

And for his generous act, they will pay a handsome amount to the gardener. But soon enough, both the lawyer and the public prosecutor start demanding their pound of flesh from the rich folk. Thus, it marks the beginning of the negotiation for the affluent family – how much they are willing to pay?

6. UNTIL DEATH DO US PART
Until death do us part
Hasta Que La Muerte Nos Separe ~ Until death do us part

At her wedding party, the bride finds out that her newlywed husband has been cheating on her with one of the guests, and she decides to pay him back. The act of infidelity and subsequent revenge by the bride is worth watching.

For her tremendous action, the bride played by Erica Rivas has won a few Best Actress awards.

Awards won by the Relatos Salvajes (2014) Movie

Names of the AwardsDetails of the Award Winners
São Paulo International Film Festival – 2014 WinnerAudience Award – Best Foreign Feature Film – Damián Szifron
Havana Film Festival – 2014 WinnerDamián Szifron – Best Director
Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences of Argentina – 2014 Winner – Award of the Argentinean AcademyBest Film – Damián Szifron
Damián Szifron – Best Director
Oscar Martínez – Best Actor
Erica Rivas – Best Actress
Germán De Silva – Best Supporting Actor
Best Screenplay, Original – Damián Szifron
Cinema Brazil Grand Prize – 2015 Winner Cinema Brazil Grand PrizeBest Foreign-Language Film (Melhor Filme Estrangeiro) – Damián Szifron -Argentina
Ariel Awards, Mexico – 2015 Winner Silver ArielBest Latin-American Film (Mejor Película Iberoamericana) – Damián Szifron – Argentina
José María Forqué Awards – 2015 WinnerBest Latin American Picture – Damián Szifron – Argentina/España
Goya Awards – 2015 Winner GoyaArgentina/España – Best Iberoamerican Film (Mejor Película Iberoamericana)
The Platino Awards for Iberoamerican Cinema – 2015 Winner Platino AwardBest Film – Argentina – 2015 Winner Platino Award – Best Director – Damián Szifron
The Platino Awards for Iberoamerican Cinema – 2015 Winner Platino AwardErica Rivas – Best Actress – Erica Rivas & 2015 Winner Audience Award – Best Actress
Chlotrudis Awards – 2016 Winner Chlotrudis AwardDamián Szifron – Best Original Screenplay
BAFTA Awards – 2016 Winner BAFTA Film AwardBest Film not in the English Language – Damián Szifron
Awards – Wild Tales (Relatos Salvajes/2014) film

Wild Tales (Relatos Salvajes/2014) movie was Argentina’s nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. Thereby, it was the seventh film from Argentina to be nominated for the Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Foreign Language Film category. But, it did not win the said prestigious award.


Featured Images and Poster of the Wild Tales Relatos Salvajes/2014) movie | IMDb.

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