Tales of the Bizarre: 2014 Fall Special

Wild Tales (Spanish: Relatos salvajes) is a 2014 satirical absurdist dark comedy anthology film, written and directed by the Argentine filmmaker Damián Szifron. The film, which is an Argentine-Spanish co-production, is composed of six standalone shorts with a common theme of catharsis, violence and vengeance. The film has an ensemble cast consisting of Ricardo Darín, Oscar Martínez, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Érica Rivas, Rita Cortese, Julieta Zylberberg, and Darío Grandinetti. Because of Szifron's desire to work with Darín and Martínez, these actors were allowed to choose the role they wanted. Four of the film's stories were partly based on Szifron's real-life experiences and were all planned either as thrillers or dramas. Wild Tales was co-produced by three Argentine studios, and Agustín's and Pedro Almodóvar's Spanish company El Deseo. The brothers joined Kramer & Sigman Films, Telefe Productions and Corner Contenidos after seeing Szifron's previous film On Probation (2005). Wild Tales was filmed in Argentina between April and May 2013, and cost US$3.3–4.5 million—70% of which came from Argentina and 30% from Spain. The film received widespread critical acclaim, particularly for being a good example of an engaging anthology film, for its cast (mainly Rivas), humour, cinematography, and music. It won many accolades, including eight of ten Platino Awards, the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language, and the Goya Award for Best Spanish Language Foreign Film. It was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards, and for the Palme d'Or at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. Wild Tales is the most-seen Argentine film of all time and was a box-office record-holder in Argentina, grossing US$11.7–21.1 million there for a total of $30.6–44.1 million worldwide.