On the surface, what unites the six otherwise unrelated stories that make up Wild Tales is the theme of revenge. But the more striking connection is formal. Argentine writer-director Damian Szifron specializes in what could be called the cinema of escalation. After a subdued start, each segment gradually ratchets up until it becomes a visual demonstration of Murphy’s Law—to the power of 10. Whether it’s the increasingly ominous connections between strangers on a plane, an incident of road rage that ends in flames, or a wedding reception that devolves into an MMA-style cage match, Szifron amps up the editing schemes and camera movements in each tale until all of the misfortune and frustration becomes too much to bear and the screen erupts in a shocking act of violence. It’s worth noting that each tale is told with a streak of black humor, even a tragic one involving a hit-and-run accident. In fact, my favorite segment may have been the one involving a respectable engineer (Ricardo Darin) who comically loses his mind while trying to navigate the government’s corrupt and unjust department for traffic violations. Anyone who’s been unfairly issued one of those red-light camera tickets will find it especially cathartic.
