Review: A Hitchcock-Style Argentine Thriller

Wild Tales, a 2014 anthology film directed by Damián Szifron, is an absurdist thriller about people losing their cool.

The film's six shorts follow the Hitchcock model: drop characters in a tense situation—a waitress serving the gangster who ruined her family, a road rage confrontation on a lonely highway—and steadily ratchet up the stakes.

In one of the best stories, "Bombita," an engineer's life falls apart after his car is impounded by the city's predatory DMV. His quest for justice leads to losing his marriage and job, and eventually to using his demolition skills to teach the tow company a lesson it won't forget.

It's a delicious revenge fantasy with a cynical political subtext. Many characters' rage is directed less at individuals than at the web of corruption that surrounds them. "Bastards rule the world," a homicidal short-order cook declares.

It's tempting to read Wild Tales as a commentary on Argentina specifically, but its themes of vengeance and catharsis are universal. Who hasn't felt the urge to go a little feral on the DMV? … [Subscribe to continue reading]