Wild Tales (2014)

You might not want to watch this film if you've ever dated anyone called Pasternak! It seems in the best traditions of Agatha Christie, this persecuted, unloved and jilted character has managed to assemble just about everyone in his life who has irked him onto an aircraft and guess who's flying the plane? That's the first of six segments that illustrate human nature, usually at it's comically worst, over the next two hours. A roadside diner sees a plot amongst the staff to rid themselves of a nasty loan shark. Then my tip for the best of these sees a ridiculous contretemps on a remote road between a man with a puncture and a local he insulted earlier on his journey. The next takes a pop at red tape as a demolition expert gets a parking ticket whilst laying tons of charges to safely demolish a building. He is either going to get the ticket annulled or he's going to do some annulling of his own. The weakest vignette, I found, involved the son of a wealthy man whose parents are trying to get him off a charge of murder. Corruption and extortion are rife and everyone wants their cut to ensure the lad doesn't swing! Finally, a groom rather stupidly admits to an infidelity as he dances with his new bride on their wedding night. Chaos ensues, tempers fly, the chef gets a dish he wasn't bargaining for... What each of these illustrate quite nicely are flaws in human nature. It could have been renamed the "seven deadly sins" as we address greed, anger, lust - you name it. It's well written to, at times, be quite funny, whilst at others equally cringe-making - making you shift a bit in your chair. My personal favourite character was the cook in the second episode (Rita Cortese)!