Dark fairy tales that hearken back to their bloody Grimm origins seems to be a trend on the rise, and Matteo Garrone’s Tale of Tales furthers the trend via a grotesque, whimsical fairy tale anthology. Three stories told in separate kingdoms, the anthology has it all; ogres, sea monsters, witches, debauchery, inept monarchs, and even Salma Hayek feasting on the heart of a giant beast.
The trailer, below, opts for madness and whimsy, giving very little away in terms of plot. Luckily, we don’t have long to see for ourselves just what’s in store as IFC Films will release Tale of Tales in theaters and VOD tomorrow, April 22nd, 2016.
Directed by Matteo Garrone, Tale of Tales stars Salma Hayek, John C. Reilly, Toby Jones, and Vincent Cassel.
Sea monsters, monarchs, ogres, and sorcerers: Salma Hayek and John C. Reilly star in this breathtaking Baroque fantasy from the visionary director of Gomorrah. Based on three spellbinding stories of magic and the macabre by 17th-century folklorist Giambattista Basile, Tale of Tales unleashes a barrage of mind-bogglingly gorgeous and fantastical imagery as it brings to life the (mis)adventures of three kings: in the kingdom of Darkwood, the King (Reilly) and his Queen (Hayek) attempt to conceive a child through very unusual means; meanwhile, in Highhills, the none-too-bright monarch (Toby Jones) marries off his daughter to brutal ogre while developing a strange obsession with breeding a giant flea; and, the sex-obsessed crown of Strongcliff (Vincent Cassel) is in for a shock when the woman he falls in love with is not quite what she seems. Overflowing with surreal, dazzling surprises, this intoxicating cinematic spectacle is a delirious excursion into the dark heart of fairy tales.
