Tale of Tales
Director: Matteo Garrone
Talent: Salma Hayek, Vincent Cassel, Toby Jones, John C. Reilly
Release Date: 17th June
Tale of Tales is the English-language debut of Matteo Garrone, who directed the quite good mafia epic Gomorrah, and if nothing else it’s certainly a change of pace for the Italian filmmaker. Featuring three loosely connected storylines set in three separate kingdoms, this is essentially a fairy-tale for adults, featuring ogres, sea dragons and giant fleas (don’t ask), as well as such recognisable faces as John C. Reilly, Salma Hayek, Toby Jones and Vincent Cassel.
It is a strange affair, grotesque and visually arresting but very uneven and difficult to like. The actors all seem to be performing in separate films, so that we have raw, emotionally committed performances from Jones and talented newcomer Bebe Cave side-by-side with Cassel’s scenery-chewing, and instead of three separate climaxes, everything comes to a collective sputtering out. However, every now and then, the film transcends its shortcomings – a king in a diving bell hunts for a monster under the sea, a suddenly rejuvenated old woman awakens naked in the forest and wonders at her newfound beauty – and you do sort of get what Garrone was going for, but sadly failed to achieve.
Words: Felipe Deakin
