Among last year's nominees for the Best Foreign Language Oscar was "Wild Tales". However, in the US it really wasn't available in most cities until well after the awards were given. This is actually not unusual for this category of films, as often they initially have a limited release in California (thus making it eligible for the Oscar) and then are later released in the rest of the country. Fortunately for me (or perhaps not),I happened to be in Philadelphia for its recent release. After having seen the film, I had a hard time believing it would be nominated for anything--let alone an Oscar.

The film begins with a scene that is terrifyingly similar to the recent tragic deliberate crash of a Malaysian Airlines plane. In this film, a disgruntled man arranges for all his enemies to receive free tickets for a dream vacations or a variety of other ruses. The people eventually realize they've been duped--but only after the plane is aloft. Then, it crashes into the ground--presumably killing everyone. This is how this Argentine comedy begins. I did hear a few nervous laughs throughout the theater--though even without the recent real air disaster, I don't understand how anyone could think this was funny.

What follows are five more tales which all have the common theme of revenge. A few of them work (particularly the final segment--which is very funny) but many of them just seem very disturbing and gross. The audience is treated to seeing two characters vomit on camera as well as one defecating on camera....with a close up shot of the man's anus so you could see it was real! Additionally, several of the stories just seemed ugly, disturbing and, in a couple cases, would seem to endorse violence as a means to dealing with your problems. Considering it's supposed to be a comedy, I was just left shocked and horrified. And, perhaps, that is the intention of "Wild Tales". It IS shocking and presents as comedy things which aren't in the least funny or entertaining.

While I thoroughly hated much of the film and worry that it might seem to excuse evil behaviors, I cannot completely condemn the movie for several reasons. Segment two and six were quite good and seemed far less nihilistic. Also, while I didn't like the tone of the other stories and found them disturbing, the production was extremely well crafted. The acting, direction and cinematography were as good as anything you'd see anywhere. But it all boils down to this....who wants to spend their night out and hard earned money to see something this unbelievably unpleasant and which might just be labeled 'revenge porn'?

While I don't agree that WILD TALES is quite the masterpiece some reviewers on here are claiming, it is a fun anthology that definitely deserves a watch. Six outlandish stories are gathered together here, and each of them has a similar superior quality in terms of production values, cinematography, and acting. However, I would have preferred it had the tales been linked in some way (other than via general themes of revenge and people losing it) as in the excellent low budget American film 11:14.

The first tale is set on a plane and is short and snappy. The twist is a cleverly achieved one and feels like one of those classic, pulp fiction-era short stories. It doesn't overstay its welcome, either. The second story, about a waitress seeking revenge, isn't quite as good - the whole 'showdown in a roadside diner' theme is very familiar - but things pick up for the third, an excellent and violent road rage story that's the highlight of the whole movie.

The fourth tale is another good one about a guy who tires of having his car towed away all the time; the protagonist is somebody whom everyone can empathise with. The fifth tale is more complicated but works well, I think, and the twist ending is exceptionally hard-hitting. The last story of a cuckolded bride suffers from some way over the top acting on the part of the main actress but nonetheless proves a success thanks to some strong and shocking moments. I'd class WILD TALES as a fun, blackly comic anthology, definitely worth your time.

These are six wild tales. (1) Various strangers board a plane and find they all know Gabriel Pasternak. (2) An arrogant man walks into a desolate diner. The waitress recognizes him as the loan shark who drove her father to commit suicide. The cook pushes her to put rat poison in the food. (3) A city guy in a nice car gets into an escalating fight with a brute in an old rundown car on a desert highway. (4) A demolition expert gets his car towed. He tries to fight the system which spiral out of control. (5) A young man is in a hit-and-run which kills a pregnant woman. His family hires the gardener to take the criminal charge in exchange for a large payout. (6) At her wedding party, Romina uncovers her groom Ariel had cheated on her. This sends her on a downward spiral.

I rarely like all the vignettes in an anthology. Number 3 is my favorite. It goes down a rabbit hole and keeps going and going. It's relentless and fun. Number 5 is probably my least favorite. I would recommend Fargo season 2 TV show for a hit-and-run story. Number 1 is like a Twilight Zone episode. I'm not sure about Number 6 until the final scene. I love the way it ends and closes the movie in grand fashion.