Next Movies With Spirit Screening “Wild Tales”™

KINGSTON – Movies With Spirit will show the wickedly hilarious farce “Wild Tales” at 7 p.m. July 16 at Congregation Emanuel of the Hudson Valley (Temple Emanuel), 243 Albany Ave. in Kingston.
The award-winning Argentinian comedy – titled “Relatos salvajes” in Spanish – tells six stories that show how dignity and propriety can shut down after a put-upon person becomes frustrated, betrayed, outraged or screwed over too many times.

The churning men and women in writer-director Damián Szifron’s anthology cross the thin line that separates civilization from barbarism. Whether pushed a lot or just a little – by a lover’s betrayal or a car in front of you that won’t let you pass – all the characters are eager to do the worst to someone else as they cede to the undeniable pleasure of losing control.

The film “is feral, ferocious and gut-bustingly funny. You’ll laugh till it hurts,” says Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers.

“You’ll never lose interest for a moment,” says Joe Morgenstern in The Wall Street Journal.

“‘Wild Tales’ builds recognizable grudges into tales of apocalyptic revenge. It’s also the year’s most fearlessly funny film,” says Time magazine’s Richard Corliss.

In one story, passengers board a flight for which they’ve all received free tickets. Slowly they realize their mysterious benefactor is a man named George Pasternak, who each of them had wronged in some way. They also realize he is at the controls of the cockpit.

Other episodes take place in a roadhouse diner, on an open highway, in a Department of Motor Vehicles office, among the corrupt members of a rich family and at a wedding ceremony where the bride learns her new husband has had affair with one of the guests.

The film – which stars an ensemble cast of Ricardo Darín, Oscar Martínez, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Érica Rivas, Rita Cortese, Julieta Zylberberg and Darío Grandinetti – won 44 film critic and festival awards, including the Best Film Not in the English Language at the British Academy Film Awards. It was nominated for 52 other awards, including Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards.

“A banquet of bad behavior,” says Richard von Busack in MetroActive.

The film runs 2 hours 2 minutes and is rated R. It is in Spanish with English subtitles. The Kingston screening will be followed by a discussion. Refreshments will be served.

Attendees over age 12 are asked to contribute  to offset series expenses. For more information about “Wild Tales” or the series, call 845-389-9201.