The Argentinian Film That Mastered Visual Storytelling

A video essay about the outstanding 2014 Argentinian movie "Wild Tales" (Relatos Salvajes), written and directed by Damián Szifrón.
A black comedy anthology film featuring 6 stories about revenge and lashing out against society, "Wild Tales" features numerous examples of creative direction that elevate its excellent screenplays to the highest level of contemporary visual storytelling.
In this directing analysis we'll go through some remarkable shots that never call attention to themselves but reveal perfect cases of staging, blocking, composition and camera angle. Szifrón sure loves his rack focus.
The cast is also terrific, featuring Rita Cortese, Oscar Martínez, Erica Rivas, Pedro Almodóvar regular Darío Grandinetti, and, obviously, Ricardo Darín as Bombita. You simply can't make a film in Argentina without him. It's literally against the law.
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[@alexnickolaev]

"If director does everything right, it's almost like he wasn't even there" That's a good one

[@tommydtomdecrescenzo8851]

I can't believe you counted every shot in the movie just for us. I think I'm going to cry. Moviewise wins KZbin.

[@mikea.6121]

Moviewise always wins KZbin.

[@tommydtomdecrescenzo8851]

It's true. He's the GOAT. @@mikea.6121

[@recesss]

There’s an app for that but if he did that’s impressive.

[@alessandroha]

I love this movie. The Argentinian Bradley Cooper 😂😂😂

[@nabeelmirza6060]

"Wild Tales" is one the best anthologies ever made. It's incredible.

[@64ccd]

Dear Moviewise, I'm currently enrolled in film school where I just had an Oscar winner teach a class, using this video, and the one you have one Spielberg as a basis for his whole class. Having seen most videos on your channel I feel that I frequently know more about what makes a great movie than many of my teachers. Thank you for making one of the best things on the entire internet!

[@Moviewise]

Wow, did I enjoy this comment! And now I’m curious, may I ask who was the Oscar winner?

[@64ccd]

@@Moviewise I've sent you an email about it.

[@SmartCookie2022]

This movie deserves more recognition, it's fantastic. One of my favourite movies of the 21st century.

[@jimmyj1969]

Such a great movie! It was a HUGE success here in Greece, back then! We have one or two really good argentinean movies every year - that's a sign of a vivid cinematography in that country!

[@JordanShipEnt]

I saw Relatos in a movie theater in Rome. When the "poo scene" came, a man stood up, started yelling at the screen and left the cinema!!😂 This movie is so solid, it's one of my favorites of the last decades! Thank you very much for this analysis!!

[@DiegoGonzalez-pp3fs]

Maybe it happened to him in some ocation 😂

[@JordanShipEnt]

lol @@DiegoGonzalez-pp3fs

[@batichiste]

Otra coronación de gloria 👑🇦🇷🚬

[@lovelettertothewest]

After watching your meticulous analysis, I was flabbergasted by the painstaking prep work that goes into visual composition in this film. From now on I will pay more attention to this important aspect of cinematic storytelling. Thank you very much for your worthy tribute to this masterpiece, and for enriching my perspective!

[@XGeners]

Yeah, I remember loving this film but back then I definitely didn't pay attention to all the details. I'll give it a rewatch tonight.

[@swaroop_pany]

I'll have to admit, I never quite understood the concept of aspect ratios until I saw your videos. I was like, use any, simply make it 16:9, so it fills a tv screen, what difference does it make? But watching your videos I've learnt how to utilize the frame completely. Your videos are undeniably incredible.

[@horaciomillan4181]

I’m so happy you’ve commented a movie from my country, particularly this, which as you say is a masterpiece. For me the third one is my favorite, the playful dance between the bride and “the other” is unsurpassable.

[@ilghiz]

This movie is una fiesta para mis ojos. One of my most favourite Spanish speaking films ever and on a global scale too. It's a masterpiece. Muchas gracias a Argentina para la pelicula de Rusia. I recommend it to all my friends and they love it too.

[@FabricioLucianoCastillo]

I love this film also. Felt very proud when it got the Oscar. I giggled all the way through the analysis just remembering the scenes.

[@hammerbeam]

I love movies like this where it's not a complete story, but several unrelated stories all featured together like The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. I find short stories can be just as meaningful as long form films because they trim the fat from every story. They rely on symbols to communicate several themes and messages at the same time and decoding them can be a lot of fun.

[@salmadys]

I'm from Mexico and I got introduced to Argentinean cinema by an Uruguayan literature teacher that I used to watch movies with. I think Argentinean cinema is very underrated! A lot of great movies I saw during that era turned into all time favorites for me! I'm glad to see people picking up on the hidden gems from down south! Also congratulations on your channel! I love your very honest movie appreciation! My favorite is the first story because What a freaking way to start your movie! And it never falters from there!

[@dr_volberg]

I still remember the shot when the cop sits in the car and checks the mirror (and deduces that the gardener couldn't have been driving). Excellent movie.

[@sheahider4722]

This channel is so criminally underrated. You’ve taught me so much

[@joaquin_087]

Thanks for this analysis. This masterpiece from Szifron always deserved more international recognition.

[@pullpulse123]

This was my favorite film of that year--so glad to see it get an analysis on a channel I love.

[@cynicshminic]

I love Wild Tales. Very underrated

[@asgads]

I havent seen this. Even if i muted your comments, i could see that this guy makes a great director just watching the snippets of the movie in your vid

[@overseastom]

Amen. I knew I wanted to watch the movie from just the first few shots of this video, so I immediately turned off this video, watched the film, and *now* I'm gonna watch this critique. I didn't want any spoilers, and I'm so glad I've watched the movie, cos it was amazing.

[@asgads]

good choice, hope you liked it@@overseastom

[@overseastom]

@@asgads I did, thanks. Best movie I've seen in quite a while tbh.

[@dnlvrl8832]

It's surprising how none of this is evident while watching the movie. The directing is so focused in the stories that i've never realiced how complex it is, while in other movies with this level of shots you notice that complexity over the story

[@tanzilkamaal9519]

Best channel on filmmaking ❤

[@badinfluence3814]

Never seen it - now off to watch it before checking out the rest of the video.

[@pmcv1874]

This is eerie. I finished watching this film, opened KZbin less than 5 minutes later and this is the very first video that appears on my feed. Not only do I get a brand new slice if Moviewise genius, but it's about an awesome film I just watched and hadn't heard of until about 2 hours ago. Lucky me!

[@XGeners]

Serendipity, you guys should marry.

[@SwainBjornstrandt]

ingeniero bombita is my favorite. I love this movie. My uncle recommended it to me, when it came out and it has become an annual watch ever since.

[@batichiste]

Damian szifron, our national pride. Amazing video! Greetings from Argentina 🇦🇷 Pd. Have you seen Szifron's last film 'To Catch A Killer' or 'Misántropo' (in spanish)? It was his first work on the US. It released earlier this year.

[@jimmyj1969]

"To Catch A Killer" was the best police movie of the last (many) years!!

[@swapblue]

thanks, i have been waiting for more work from him, since i watched wild tales

[@TheNowhereMan0]

Szifron es todo lo que está bien 🇦🇷❤️

[@ignaciootondo8732]

Argentina papa!!! Muy buena misántropo tmbb.

[@JohannBBravo]

the road rage! this tiny escalations until nobody wins! genius! i saw this movie only once like 8 years ago and i still talk about and recommend it regularly. might need a rewatch ;)

[@Zed-fq3lj]

Great movie from Argentina...Just keep reviewing more movies outside Hollywood dude!

[@CarlosC0311]

YEEES, my favorite KZbin channel talking about one of my favorite films

[@isaiahgalarza3112]

Dude…. You’re awesome!!

[@hikari_manekineko]

Didn't hear of the film before now, will certainly try to watch it. Your videos are educational and consistently funny, I became a fan in seconds flat. :)

[@retlwiz]

I agree that this film has some of the best storytelling I've seen in years, but I had never thought about its visual stye, which I can now see is great.

[@imdiyu]

Another banger video, bro. Your content is such a fresh air in this image saturated world. Werner Herzog once said that "We lack adequate images"... What he meant perhaps was - we lack adequate images that matter. Victor Kossakovsky once also said something in a similar manner that most of the films, most of the images in the world are pure garbage, it's very difficult to create authentic images for our culture. And, of course the Robert Bresson once said, "Make visible what, without you, might perhaps never have been seen."

[@khun_le]

I was watching this video and around 6 min, I paused it because I was already convinced to see this movie as soon as possible. Saw it last night. Easily one of the best things I’ve seen in a while.

[@alejoparedes2388]

Thank you for talking about this movie. Szifrón is a master and it's a shame that he isn't better known. However, please put a spoiler warning in the video next time. For those who haven't seen the movie, half of the fun is in the plot twists. Thank you once again, greetings from Argentina.

[@VictorBernace]

Thanks for adding this movie to my "must-watch" list.

[@janezverbic2093]

Just watched it. Brilliant movie, fascinating stories and amazing visuals, thanks for the tip.

[@SimGunther]

Those were some _Wild Tales_ worth watching!

[@marcdraco2189]

OK, so I rented it, I watched it and I rather falls over a cliff by the time we get to the wedding section which gets silly beyond belief. This from a film that has an amazing opening story (rat poison) and one of the best planned two-man brawls ever committed to film. That section alone justified the rental to me as a piece of visual storytelling and preparation give me shivers. Not a single second of screen time is lost on needless filler (note to self, cut needless filler) but is actually largely believable. The car mounts are impressive too since they're lower budget than a typical Hollyweird rig - but it's the crash and final fight planning that had me on the edge of the seat. As a stand-alone short it's an example of HOW to do shorts and I'll be honest, learnt quite a bit about staging such a sequence. My first proper short, currently unproduced, spends a lot of time in car and to see how the director frames every second of every shot. MWAH! Chef's kiss!

[@nestorarranz3179]

I remember seeing It in the cinema im glad someone is talking about it

[@KreatedbyKrause]

Another reason why DVDs were great: the previews. I only learned about this film from the previews on a DVD. Otherwise, I never would have known about it…until now.

[@germanleal]

Amazing video! Thanks for sharing this masterpiece from my country. Greetings from Argentina

[@ARVIND7066]

One of the great films! The patterns are incredible. The cook in the rats talks about how prison is great in Story 2, in the ricardo darin story we seem him getting the respect he never had in the outside world in jail. Also the repetition of cars, fire extinguishers, cakes ....just a great great film.

[@robertosalto1962]

Interesting analisis. As an argentinian I have to tell you that you forgot to mention we recently obtain our third world cup.

[@lucioweht2161]

Szifron its easily one of the greatest south american director's , i thinks he is paired with Del Toro , he tends to overpolitize some of his productions , but he stills being a master , i also recomend his greatest production "los simuladores" you can find it subbed on youtube , its incredible how he reached that production quality when the country was in crisis , even the actors payd for the series to continue

[@floydffrogfloydffrog7453]

I may never have heard of this wonderful film if I hadn't started watching your videos. Talk about a happy convenience.

[@James-Tanner]

I too love the cooks character! Thanks for making me a better student of film.

[@MIKAEL212345]

the mirrors were really clever to allow facial reactions to keep being shown

[@curtdilger6235]

You've succeeded in taking one of the movies I love and making me love it even more. Thanks Regards

[@davidmurciaaristizabal5381]

Find out you´r channel recently, what a banger, props to every single video and analysis, it´s fun, deep, informative and critical.... keep on!

[@gullijons9135]

I love this channel, not just because of the analysis and the learning but just to discover movies I haven't seen before! I had never even heard about Wild Tales before - it's now on my watchlist!

[@pmccord9]

Thanks. An excellent directing class using brilliant material. I'll be using Wild Tales in my own classes.

[@javix2013]

Sifron is preparing 2 more Wld Tales movies, a trilogy, and the third one is going to be called: Wild Planet, he wants to do something similar to Iñarritu's Babel, with stories around the world, for example: a story in Mexico, another in Japan, another in Russia, another in the Middle East, another in the United States, etc.

[@manuelmarchesi6577]

Szifron has only directed masterpieces, a group of films/shows that all have this same amount of thought and excellence. By far he’s my favorite director.

[@Jeredos]

Masterpiece

[@PrimerCinePodcast]

This movie always made me proud as an Argentinian muahhahah

[@TheKillzone32]

Never get tired of this movie. My favorite is 'The Proposal'. I could watch an entire movie with that premise.

[@wrstefg]

What a fantastic analysis! I had seen the film in Germany in the cinema and everyone was already amazed about it. Unfortunately the video doesn't have Spanish subtitles - can you maybe enable the function that other people can add subtitles (at least you could do that in the past)? I would volunteer for the creation of the subtitles, so I can forward it to my friends in Argentina :)

[@elroma7712]

The bald guy at 1:00 was Marcelo Frasca my drama teacher back in high school, he sadly passed away in 2019. He was a passionate fan of Breaking Bad.

[@brucetrappleton6984]

What a fantastic movie!!! Leo Sbaraglia use to live just a few blocks from me when we were kids.

[@SofaKingShit]

I don't watch films any more. Even though at one stage of my life l saw one at the theater most nights. Maybe l haven't the patience or lack the ability to suspend disbelief and stop being vigilant for an hour or two any more. I feel like I'm missing out on a wonderful part of life. Maybe your channel can help with this l dunno. Seems like it's perhaps helping a little.

[@overseastom]

An anthology film like this might be the perfect thing for getting you inspired to watch more movies again. Short stories are interesting and engaging, and they nailed the pacing of these. It's an excellent film, and definitely worth a watch!

[@user-kc3uu3gv1v]

this movie is indeed an absolute banger. thank you for turning me onto it!

[@PestifeR]

I love this film. There are some amazing little camera angles in it

[@Lylantz]

Qué impresionante todo lo que hiciste en este análisis vos. 10/10

[@oso-goodcinema848]

I have watched just about every filmmaking channel on KZbin. I hope you know that you might be the best! Keep making these!!

[@drkavinselvaraj]

I was both entertained and learnt a lot from the movie and from your extraordinary analysis. Well Done. There are many such good movies all around the world throughout the movie history. All you have to do is find such movies and keep doing what you did in this video. No one can stop you from getting millions of subscribers.

[@TTrevaskis2020]

This is one of my all time favorites. Such a fun “wild” ride.

[@corbie8]

What a superb break down. Never heard of this film but now I'm going to find it out!

[@scotty4489]

You caught the Spielberg references as always, but I think the use of mirrors is a clear reference to My Dinner With Andre, maybe the most underrated directing job ever. Particularly the use of a mirror to show both sides of one actors face bracketing the second actors face, that's straight from Andre and very well done here.

[@AnUndivine]

What would good film making be without mirrors, glass, and reflective things?

[@alejandrohualdez5550]

Just watched it. Excellent recommendation!!! Many thanks.

[@Josephpirro]

I have always loved films, but this gives me a better appreciation. Thank you

[@bearcb]

Great video on a great movie. Argentinian cinema has pleny of them. I’d love your video on another masterpiece: Nueve Reinas/Nine Queens

[@ilghiz]

Relatos salvajes is one of my top favourite Spanish language movies. It's stunning and captivating, you don't want to miss a second. You make the movie even better for me :)

[@SuchetB]

It’s a brilliance movie and I loved it the direction and cinematography in it. Thank you making this great analysis of it ⛩🎥☀️🎬

[@theflowowl]

I was not aware of this movie. Great analysis Moviewise 👏 I am intrigued by your accent, but I think I cracked it. You sound like you are from Brazil 🙂 Se estou correto então envio um abração do teu irmão português 😆

[@FannyPlusvi]

The voice sounds more like spanish from southamerica, but I'm not sure.

[@marcdraco2189]

Is anyone streaming Wild Tales with English subs in Europe? I've never come across it and I need to learn more. True story. Back in the 1980s I wrote an advert to show why Pan and Scan is so horrible on movies produced in scope. EDIT: I am an idiot. It's available to rent from Amazon. Because of course it is.

[@MauricioJara]

Been waiting to see someone cover this film. One of my favorites to revisit. The best one for me gotta be the chaotic nature of the road rage chapter of the film.

[@tylerdordon99]

I also liked this director's Hollywood debut "To Catch a Killer".

[@gr0ssotron146]

Contar a história por visual é algo muito bom e criativo! :D

[@kp63988]

Great analysis, You got a new subscriber.

[@Walklenguer]

Great analysis. My favorite tale is Bombita.

[@Jon_Oates]

One of my favourite films of all time. I missed the wedding cake in the bakery!

[@fede77]

Great video!! Congrats!!

[@donvonfilms2937]

Great cinematography.

[@ZD-ko4yn]

Love this! Thanks

[@David-mg1yj]

This is great. I will certainly watch "Wild Tales" now. Thank you. But it has left me wondering if instead of all the focus pulling (racking) could the director not achieve almost the same amount of drama by shooting deep focus? Sergio Leone style.

[@Selrisitai]

Layman, here. Is "deep focus" where the entire shot is in focus, foreground to background?

[@David-mg1yj]

@@Selrisitai Yes. That's it. And a "Deep Two" would be a shot where a character in the foreground is in focus and the person in the background is also sharp.

[@luchogallardoleon]

Great. I hope you get more suscribers.

[@lou914]

To be expected from a nation that that produces such sophisticated literature, music and cinema (among other things). Generally, one is exposed to the kind of director who expounds the "Hey, look at me! I'm directing a movie! Check out this crazy angle! I've got a restless camera!"-school-of-filmmaking. This certainly not what is happening here. Just good, relentless irony and dark humor in a straightforward, seamless, inconspicuous manner Another good example of WAY above average movie-making is "The Man Next Door", also from Argentina. Congratulations on yet another brilliant foray into the appreciation of the art of cinema. Keep 'em comin'!

[@russellandrews1177]

This channel is the best!

[@kalamar2]

wow! thank you, your analysis is fascinating, i've learned a lot. i well know Relatos Salvajes, and since now on, i much better know why. Cheers from Spain, you have one more subscriber

[@sunsetman22]

Szifrón's latest, To Catch a Killer/Misanthrope is also great imo, although I think Relatos Salvajes remains his masterpiece.

[@aryanpatel8619]

❤I want to be a director now😂❤

[@jayavardhantummala6399]

I'm from India and I loved this video! The visual storytelling here is different here which I don't like all the time but this film had great VS tbh and I just loved it so much. And I really loved how u linked Convenience with VS! I'm fuking sold for this channel.

[@TerbrugZondolop]

One the best movie series I have ever seen.

[@geronimoreig8485]

Thank you to talk about the argentinian cinema

[@XGeners]

Oh man I can't believe you reviewed this movie?! I loved this movie so much when it came out and I'd forgotten about it. Btw I love your channel, I recently discovered it and have been binge-watching. Nobody else talks about blocking and the things that you do, everybody nowadays is about 'easter eggs' and silly stuff. Thank you for your videos. Subscribed on this one too.

[@XGeners]

Oh and my favorite one is Bombita because of his acting, always so good, but really, they are all so good.

[@shopski]

Wonderful video!

[@facundobatto]

A masterpiece for all times. Great, great movie

[@Julian97MetalFighter]

Muchachos intensifies* 🏆🏆🏆