DVD Review - Tale of Tales (2015)

From a queen eating the heart of a sea monster to an ever growing pet flea, Tale of Tales is one fairy tale that isn’t afraid to get incredibly bizarre.

The film tells three separate tales all within the same setting sharing similar themes. All three are intercut together but never tie in with each other until the ending which felt very cheap and unsatisfying. That said there was still enough closure despite wanting more. There was much more surrealism in Tale of Tales than a normal fairy tale which I loved. The world created here is really something special filled with surprises. The minimal dialogue in the film complements this very well.

Matteo Garrone is giving Wes Anderson a run for his money in terms having a film with some of the best set design of the decade. I was blown away back when I saw the trailer but it’s nothing in comparison to the full film. And of course this would all be for nothing without incredible cinematography. I found it very interesting that despite this being Garrone’s first English-speaking film, the entire film was made in Italy (as far as I’m aware), which is unlike a lot of recent English-language foreign productions.

I hope a film like this will urge some filmmakers to try and tackle some Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Andersen material with a more adult appeal.