Tale of Tales (2015)

Tale of Tales is the kind of movie that feels like you’re watching a storybook dream through a cracked mirror—ravishing to look at, boldly imaginative, and unafraid of the dark corners fairy tales usually hide. Matteo Garrone turns three royal obsessions into a lush, operatic fever spell where romance, horror, and fantasy mingle with a mature, off-kilter sense of wonder, and every frame seems carved from candlelight, velvet, and dread. It’s compelling not because it chases modern realism, but because it commits fully to a strange, original mythology that plays by its own rules. If you want a cozy, comforting bedtime fable, this isn’t it—but if you’re curious about fairy tales with teeth, it’s a cinematic spectacle that’s hard to shake.

Tale of Tales is clearly aiming for a lavish, adult fairy-tale anthology—more mood and myth than plot—where desire and obsession curdle into something grotesque. The problem is it often feels like three beautifully staged dreams stitched together without a strong rhythm, so the slow pacing and abrupt turns can come off arbitrary rather than haunting. If you need a cohesive narrative, clear character arcs, or emotional payoff, this will likely feel messy and unsatisfying. But if you’re patient with surreal storytelling and want striking imagery, committed performances, and a dark storybook atmosphere, there’s enough here to justify a watch.