Can we call ourselves civilized? This is a question that pops up in our minds when we hear about extreme injustice being meted out or when violent crimes happen. But have you ever had this thought that, aren't we all mere ugliness that awaits for a perfect vent to come out unnoticed? This polarity of human behaviour and our baser instincts are always an inspiration for every artist and filmmaker. So today we are meeting two films that delve deep into this theme.
Imagine a situation where someone accidentally meets the person who is responsible for his/her father's death. How will he/she avenge his death? Or let's say somebody wants to get rid of all the people who treated him/her badly and unfairly in life forever. By forever I mean, not in a ‘good way' and how would it be pulled off? Or consider somebody is having a bad day and happen to pick a fight with a hot head in the middle of a highway, how is that going to end? ‘Relatos Salvajes’ or ‘Wild Tales’ directed by Damian Szifron is an Argentine anthology film that brilliantly captures this violence and vengeance entrenched in our mundane life.
By focusing on ordinary people enmeshed in extraordinary circumstances, six thematically connected short stories are skillfully woven together with black humor. The extremes of human behaviour and how our actions create an intricate chain of events are meticulously explored through each story. ‘Relatos Salvajes’ with its wild tales of vengeance and violence will not let you down.
What lies behind our actions? Have you ever thought, in hindsight, about your own actions and wondered why did you take such a decision at that point? Well, I think Llewelyn Moss in ‘No Country for Old Men’ would be cursing the moment he came across that briefcase with money from a drug deal gone wrong. And then we find him fleeing endlessly from the ruthless and enigmatic Anton Chigurh, who is hired to recover the money, and thereby from not getting killed. The film is a cat and mouse chase with constant pursuits, near captures, and escapes. The Coen Brothers through their legendary filmmaking style blend the theme of fate and free will in a setting resembling a murky "Wild West".
The eerily vast landscape, dusty highways, and a constantly suffocating feeling of being followed. Everything about this movie is so sinister that, it is as if the Coen Brothers let loose Anton Chigurh to hunt us down. ‘No Country for Old Men’ is a maze from which you cannot escape. In simple terms, it is a gem of cinematic art.
‘Relatos Salvajes’ and ‘No Country for Old Men’ are vantage points from where we can look at life and contemplate its unpredictability, its surprises, and disappointments. They remind us how our decisions, whether good or bad, follow us forever. Like every great work of art, these two films are life itself in all its raw and wild form. And in the end, they throw this question at us: Are we truly civilized?
