Tale of Tales slipped past my radar in 2015. It’s a strange movie directed by Matteo Garrone (who has plenty of talent!). The movie is based on three macabre fairy tales by 17th Century folklorist, Giambattista Basile. The stories intertwine and reinforce each other. In the first story, the King (John C. Reilly) attempts to satisfy the Queen’s (Salma Hayek) obsession to conceive a child by slaying a sea monster. In the second story, another King (Toby Jones) is obsessed by an insect which leads him to marry his daughter off to an ogre. In a third kingdom, the sexually obsessed King (Vincent Cassel) falls for an unseen woman when he hears her singing. Their midnight rendezvous leads to a Big Surprise for both of them.
If you’re in the mood for some “fractured fairy tales” Tale of Tales will startle you. Visually impressive! GRADE: B+