The film-success of the Argentinean director Damian Chiffon Wild Tales(Spanish: Relatos salvajes) is an extraordinary film about the nature of aggression. A beautiful picture, amazing plots, high-quality work of the entire film crew as a whole – the result is an amazing movie full of passions and vices.
Down with stereotypes
The Argentine-Spanish film burst onto the screens in 2014, immediately made a strong impression on both the audience and film critics, and won many prizes and nominations. Over the years, I have not lost my charms, the number of fans is steadily increasing. The definition of genre is disconcerting: thrilling drama, violent thriller, black comedy? Crazy Chronicles or an original arthouse for a wide audience? A little bit of everything, but still not that: the unique picture does not fit into the usual framework in any way.
During two hours of screen time, the viewer will see six bright short stories. At first glance, the events presented are not related to each other. Is it really? Let’s try to figure it out.
The meaning of the name
Wild stories: a name that speaks for itself. The stories are truly monstrously wild, beyond the usual norm. Each separately and all taken together. Wild passions, uncontrollable emotions, eerie endings. It is incredible to what extent the anger accumulating over the years can reach, how destructive a momentary rage can be, how sometimes an insignificant reason for revenge can be.
The second meaning of the name: stories about animals – why not? Wild animals are often hiding under the guise of civilized people.
Inner beast
A lavish opening to the film: the opening credits, representing the crew, are shown against the backdrop of photographs of wild animals, herbivores or carnivores. The big-eyed owl is the cameraman, the composer is a strong bear, and the director is an intelligent and cunning fox.
The slogan of the film is 100% successful:
A beast sleeps in everyone. Don’t wake him up.
What animal slumbers in any of us? At what point will he awaken and what can this lead to?
The nature of aggression
Aggression of all kinds and levels has accompanied a person since ancient times. Inborn instincts, alas, are ineradicable, at any level of development of civilization, aggression is an inevitable evil. The desire to harm an old enemy or casual acquaintance, violence as a way to solve problems – in any society one has to deal with such phenomena. On a global scale, these are terrorism and wars, private manifestations – interpersonal conflicts and aggressive behavior in everyday life.
Revenge is also a form of aggression. There is a famous Russian commandment that expresses the nature of revenge:
An eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth.
It is in a similar vein that the heroes of the film act.
Six options for revenge
All six disparate stories have a common theme: revenge. The reasons and methods are different in each case.
“Parsnip”
A loser always thinks that everyone around him is to blame for his failed life.
The insults inflicted many years ago lead the failed composer to the idea of taking revenge on all his enemies at the same time. A plane crash is a radical solution.
“Rats”
The mafioso, who once became the cause of his father’s death, meets the heroine-waitress in a roadside restaurant. For many years she dreamed of bringing about retribution. The voiced desire came true in the most unexpected way: by someone else’s hands.
Fear your desires, for they come true.
“Strongest”
Rivalry on the road, demonstration of strength, unwillingness to give in. What does the violent conflict lead to for the heroes over an essentially insignificant pretext?
The third story is the brightest embodiment of the quotation of the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius in the most literal sense:
Before embarking on the path of revenge, dig two graves.
“Little bomb”
A small person, driven to extremes by the unjust organization of society, can do very unpredictable actions. Reaching the boiling point and undermining the bureaucrats to hell is the shortest path to happiness.
“Offer”
The desire to save the only son from a fair imprisonment is quite understandable, but the methods are very dubious. As a result, retribution overtakes the greedy, although not the most guilty. Switchman.
“Until the death tear us apart”
It’s so easy to lose control of your actions under the influence of jealousy. An offended woman is sometimes scary in anger. The bride is looking for the most sophisticated ways to take revenge on the traitorous groom right at the wedding.
Hot Argentine boys and girls serve a dish called “revenge” very hot. Help yourself.
Familiar stories
Latin American passions on the screen only seem to be characteristic of the ardent temperament of certain ethnic groups. In fact, our average compatriot can hardly be too surprised by such scandals.
It is easy to be peddled out of jealousy, regardless of the number of guests present at the celebration. To bribe an investigator and “smear” a major son from fair retribution? There are hundreds, if not thousands of such cases. Well, a showdown on the road is just our national sport: the desire to prove “who is cooler” is in the blood of many would-be drivers.
Fortunately, familiar stories in reality do not lead to such dire consequences. Except sometimes …
Pedro Almodovar and Damian Chifron
Laureate of many prestigious film awards, two-time Oscar winner Pedro Almodovar produced the Cifron’s film, which in itself is already a certain “quality mark”. The influence of the master’s style is clearly traced: he always liked to raise the topic of madness in everyday life.
I make personal films about the madness that we suddenly find ourselves capable of in the most ordinary setting – in the kitchen, in the bathroom, in the elevator, on the beach.
The director-Almodovar’s trademark features include a rich color scheme, in “Wild Stories” the picture is so good that it is difficult to take your eyes off the screen.
The secret meaning of color
The palette of colors on the screen is mesmerizing, emphasizes the emotionality of what is happening, carries a certain symbolism. The combination of white and blue colors leaves a strong impression, but these tones do not always have a uniquely positive effect on the psyche.
- White color symbolizes not only purity, but also the destruction of stereotypes, emptiness and mourning.
- Blue is preferred by people who have a broken connection with the world, who do not recognize boundaries, are slightly insane. Often, fans of blue are stubborn, do not want to take into account alternative opinions.
Thus, the color scheme subconsciously tells the viewer the direction of the plot lines.
The meaning of the film & Ending explained
All these amazing stories are connected by a common thought: aggression destroys everything in its path, and revenge is rarely satisfying. Refusing retaliation takes effort, but it is precisely this way out of a difficult situation that will help save your soul. And sometimes my own life.
He who takes revenge sometimes regrets the perfect; one who forgives never regrets it.
You should not release your inner wild beast. Otherwise, under the influence of aggression, you risk losing your human appearance. This can be extremely dangerous or even fatal.
