Throwback: Wild Tales (dir. Damián Szifron), 2014

Pasternak is flying the plane. Who is Pasternak? His grade school teacher calls him a psycho, according to a music critic his work was deafening, and even his model ex-girlfriend found his best friend more appealing. What do all these people, as well as the rest of the passengers on the plane, have in common? They have all wronged Pasternak in some way, were sent complimentary tickets, and are now on a one way trip to his parent’s house. Pasternak is a brief, electrifying short which segues into the opening credits of Wild Tales, the Oscar-nominated 2014 Argentine film. After the credits, five more shorts await, all following different stories with two common themes: violence and revenge.

Film anthologies are not necessarily unique. The city-based anthology series I Love You has graced Paris, Rio de Janeiro, and New York City. However, Wild Tales still feels like a uniquely singular experience. Damián Szifron is at the helm of each perfectly crafted story as both writer and director and, while there is the typical anthology urge to rank each short, there is no denying they all stand perfectly on their own. Such an absurd, complex idea as a failed man becoming a pilot and ensuring the plane is composed only of those who wronged him to extract the ultimate revenge is believably crafted and executed in under ten minutes. Subsequent stories follow with more length, but just as quickly get the ball rolling. In Las Ratas, a waitress is confronted with a sinister man from her past. “This man is the cause of your father’s suicide, and all you want to do is insult him?” the surly cook asks the waitress, before concocting a plan for revenge. El Más Fuerte follows two men, one posh and one working class, who engage in a deadly, and often hilarious, game of road rage in the sparsely populated desert. A demolition expert takes on the parking system and government bureaucracy in Bombita and a wealthy father attempts to negotiate an alibi for his son after hitting and killing a pregnant woman in La Propuesta.

Cue Titanium by Sia and David Guetta: the final short is Hasta Que La Muerte Nos Separe. A smiling bride, Romina, and her groom enter their wedding reception as the song pulses in the background. While pointing out guests, Romina notices a young, attractive woman seated at a table reserved for colleagues of her new husband. After discreetly confirming the young woman had an affair with him, Romina pursues a wild series of tactics to extract revenge. The onnly risks? Perhaps a few STDs and some superficial cuts.

Yes, the tales are wild and are aptly named as such in the English-language title. The film, or shorts rather, beautifully capture the upsides of revenge. So often are we told to forgive and forget, that revenge itself is a negative flaw born out of a lack of control; yet, there is a beauty in losing control and embracing our most savage undertones. Wild Tales draws out this beauty and is undeniably a perfect film capturing the messiness of our societies.