Part of my São Paulo International Film Festival movie marathon. Movie #1
“Bad Tales”, directed by Damiano and Fabio D’Innocenzo, brings us to a summer in a small community near Rome, where adults are angry and senseless, and kids are bored and desperate. Nothing is said and everything is hidden in plain sight. But this is not your ordinary suburbia.
It is a slow-burner. A very slow-burner, but it pays off in its final moments. I felt it unfocused and all over the place at times, while also trying too hard to be a Poetic™ film. It’s a movie that sometimes drowns in its own poetic imagery and loses the viewer, while also managing to keep you somewhat interested until it goes out with a bang.
It was shocking and surprising, and it works as a twisted cautionary tale – against absent parenting, against the lack of proper support systems, against poor employee treatment.
The cinematography is absolutely beautiful, never warning you of what is coming behind you. The kid actors do an amazing job. It was very surprising and unexpected, and hadn’t it been for that I would probably not recommend it. Ultimately, I feel it was worth the watch, even though it didn’t change my world.
Kulturissima 
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