Tale of Tales

Tale of Tales is an interesting beast, a movie that offers up three fairy tales for the viewer to enjoy, and it an absolutely sumptuous picture to watch. It is lavish, and evidence of how a good film can use the very specificity of its medium – glorious visuals – to tell a tale in a way no other can. One tale sees a king (John C. Reilly), whose wife is desperate to conceive, on a quest to slay a sea monster. The next follows a womanising ruler (Vincent Cassel) who falls in love with a beautiful voice, not realising it is that of an ancient crone. Finally, a king (Toby Jones) fosters a pet flea, then uses its skin as part of a test to marry off his daughter when it dies. This film is dark and bizarre, but incredibly beautiful – if you choose to watch it, you’ll see that it is worth its weight in sea monster hearts.

Reece Goodall