We were relatively badly prepared for the PIFF this year. Usually we bring films with us and discuss what to watch beforehand, so even if we change our plans halfway (as we almost always do), we typically get an idea of what we will see. Not this time. It was only recently that I met with a friend who claimed “Wild Tales” was the best film of the last 5 years, and that prompted me to propose it for the PIFF while we were desperately looking for what to watch. It turns out the recommendation was spot on (though that claim with the 5 years is an exaggeration of course).
Wild Tales
I’ll give some short comments on each of the segments, but given that this is a black comedy, I cannot fully express why this movie is so surprisingly worth watching.
Pasternak
This one was impressively short but probably our favorite overall. Personally I had a thing for the very last sequence, but “Pasternak” is over the top funny, concise and simply perfect. Ranked no.2
Las Ratas
Perhaps the least outwardly funny of all the segments, I liked it for its unabashed vengefulness. If only you could get rid of the Trumps of this world like that, but there is a reason why “Inglorious Basterds” never happened. Ranked No.5
El mas fuerte
Speaking of the devil, this segment reminded me a little bit of what Tarantino would do, but Tarantino could never come up with the ending twist which made us all laugh out loud. Ranked no.4
Bombita
All of the segments have elements of social commentary, but this one is perhaps so the most. It would never be this funny in an US or a European film. Of course the respective Western countries come with their own absurd inefficient bureaucracies, but it would never ring so hilariously true if it wasn’t set in a somewhat inherently chaotic country. The satisfying vengefulness aspect reappears, and that might make “Wild Tales” the perfect escapist movie. Ranked no.3
La Propuesta
Being one of the longer segments (if I am not mistaken), this was perhaps by far my least favorite. It’s a hilarious take on corruption with a few great one-liners and twists, but not as exhilaratingly so as the other segments in my book, most likely because in this case, I can’t really relate to that world. Ranked no.6
Hasta que la muerte nos separe
No film can be without a love story, and what a love story this one is! It was also a very long segment, but I thought every escalation of the disastrous wedding was fantastic. Maybe because my family never has any open confrontations these eruptions have been almost cathartic, and the end felt absurd at first, but upon further inspection, it was absolutely right after all. They let it out and they are now even, so they can leave it all behind to focus on these feelings that were very much present the entire time. I think it’s a fabulous wedding. Ranked no.1