Institute History
Description
Since premiering at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, Wild Tales, Argentina’s deserving entry to the Foreign-language Academy Awards category, has invited audiences to experience the pleasure of losing control.
Most people believe they will act rationally when confronted with a difficult situation. But when push comes to shove, one may behave like the rabid and hilariously crazed characters drawn toward savagery in Damián Szifrón’s subversive film. This anthology of six absurd short films offers unrelated stories thematically linked to social grievances gone wrong, be it a chance encounter on a plane too good to be true, road rage transformed into class warfare, or a tragic revelation at a wedding. Each episode more outrageous than the last, all are steadily controlled by Szifrón’s expressive eye and sense of timing. Showcasing perfectly pitched performances and bleak humor derived from daily frustrations all can relate to, these imaginative tales build to a crescendo of madness from which no one escapes unscathed. —L.Z.