Bad Tales

Released May 21, 2021

1h 38m

Drama

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Bad Tales: Trailer 1

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47%

Tomatometer

19 Reviews

61%

Audience Score

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Once upon a time, in a small family suburb on the outskirts of Rome, the cheerful heat of summer camouflages a stifling atmosphere of alienation. From a distance, the families seem normal, but it’s an illusion: in the houses, courtyards and gardens, silence shrouds the subtle sadism of the fathers, the passivity of the mothers and the guilty indifference of adults. But it’s the desperation and repressed rage of the children that will explode and cut through this grotesque façade, with devastating consequences for the entire community.

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Amy Nicholson

FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)

I have absolutely no idea what this film is trying to say, which is a disappointment because it has a fascinating framing device.

Jun 8, 2021

Full Review

Robert Abele

Los Angeles Times

[A]s a snapshot of a summer of discontent - critical and clinical - "Bad Tales" is a disappointingly sour display indeed.

Jun 4, 2021

Full Review

A.O. Scott

New York Times

All in all, the movie lives up to its title, though perhaps not in the way the filmmakers intended.

Jun 3, 2021

Full Review

Erick Estrada

Cinegarage

The film has a spectacular subtlety. [Full review in Spanish]

Jul 18, 2023

Full Review

Elle Haywood

Vague Visages

With Bad Tales, the D’Innocenzo brothers present a series of cruel episodes with no emotional catharsis.

May 15, 2023

Full Review

Filipe Freitas

Always Good Movies

Mounted with well-developed characters and preserving tension at all times, Bad Tales is a terribly cruel, darkly compelling, sometimes-obscene film.

Rated: 3.5/5

Sep 20, 2021

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Suha A

Certainly above average for Italian filmmaking: acting and screenplay are superb. However, the plot is puzzling, not giving the viewers anything really to relate to. What the film is trying to deliver as a message has not been clear to me. The entire plot sounded like a series of symbols to various angles of misery and neglect of children dreams and need for attention. On the technical level, for an Italian viewer the film is hard to understand due to the strict local accent, which frankly left me struggling for 40% of the film time to understand what the actors were saying. In addition, the sound was produced such that the environment's noise would cover the actors voices; it was a real struggle to understand the dialogues.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/09/22

Full Review

nefasto r

A new wave of Italian neorealism arrived with Sorrentino, and luckily goes one with director like Garrone and the D'Innocenzo Brothers. "Favolacce" proves that there is hope for Italian cinema after all.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I fratelli D'Innocenzo tirano fuori un altro film dal grandissimo contenuto. Le vicende di alcune famiglie in un sobborgo di Roma si intrecciano nella quotidianità di un'estate e nella lotta per una sopravvivenza onesta e decente. Visionario e di una rara potenza, Favolacce porta con sè un finale che lascia senza parole. A tratti, forse, si eccede un po' troppo nell'astrazione dei pensieri e degli sguardi, prediligendoli troppo a qualche dialogo e qualche movimento in più.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A refreshing and unique film with a dark but playful edge throughout. The writing is creative and it's brilliantly acted, the cast doesn't have a weak link. So enjoyable when you're never quite sure what is going to happen next - I wanted it to be longer. Highly recommend this if you're looking for something different.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

Full Review

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Damiano D'Innocenzo

Director

Fabio D'Innocenzo

Director

Elio Germano

Bruno Placido

Gabriel Montesi

Amelio Guerrini

Justin Korovkin

Geremia Guerrini

Barbara Chichiarelli

Dalila Placido

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Bad Tales: Trailer 1

0:59

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Synopsis

Once upon a time, in a small family suburb on the outskirts of Rome, the cheerful heat of summer camouflages a stifling atmosphere of alienation. From a distance, the families seem normal, but it’s an illusion: in the houses, courtyards and gardens, silence shrouds the subtle sadism of the fathers, the passivity of the mothers and the guilty indifference of adults. But it’s the desperation and repressed rage of the children that will explode and cut through this grotesque façade, with devastating consequences for the entire community.

Director: Damiano D'Innocenzo, Fabio D'Innocenzo
Producer: Salvatore Trigona
Screenwriter: Damiano D'Innocenzo, Fabio D'Innocenzo
Distributor: Strand Releasing
Production Co: RAI Cinema, Amka Films
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Italian
Release Date (Theaters): May 21, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 7, 2021
Runtime: 1h 38m

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