When watching Freaky Tales from Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, both of whom also have writing credits, there is an unapologetic punk energy wrapped around a tribute to the exploitation cinema of the ’60s and early ’80s.
Freaky Tales takes place in Oakland in 1987. The narrator (Too $hort) describes a special energy in the air, which the film presents as a fun green visual as lighting around the characters. Through that energy, we see how all four chapters of the film interconnect with each other.
The first chapter involves Lucid (Jack Champion) and Tina (Ji-young Yoo), who have a really intimate chemistry, especially when Lucid makes her a metal wristband that he gives her during dinner.
The first chapter involves our two punks being harassed by the local Neo-Nazis who keep on attacking the punk club they are part of. As a result of this harassment the community they are part of decide to make a stand by giving the Nazis the beat down they deserve.
Boden and Fleck capture this punk energy not just in all these characters coming together to stand against intolerance, but really in Lucid and Tina coming together through the movement. For them, this form of expression is how they show they care for each other.
As the chapter ends with these two friends now lovers together as suddenly the music and everyone around them zones out.
The rebellious energy really stands out in the film’s first two chapters, as we see characters use music to fight against the intolerance they are experiencing. In the second chapter, we’re introduced to two musician friends: Entice (Normani) and Barbie (Dominique Thorne).
We are actually introduced to these characters early on in chapter one after Lucid and Tina leave the cinema the Nazis drive by harass Barbie in which Lucid and Tina give them the finger in solidarity, then Tina and Barbie both nod at each other.
With the film being an anthology of different tales, it does connect the characters quite well, even if their stories seem miles apart.
Before both friends performed, they each had to put up with a racist pig referred to as The Guy (Ben Mendelsohn). When they do perform in a rap battle, Entice can express those frustrations.
This green lighting acts as its own character and comes through when Entice picks up her mic. It gives her the power, and the green light bounces off her when she picks it up.
The third chapter functions largely as an homage to 1974’s Death Wish, with Pedro Pascal’s Clint as the center. We are introduced to his character in the first chapter during the dinner, where he advises Tina to “aim for the neck.”
The tone changes dramatically, and I was struck by the transition from Entice and Barbie to Clint. It feels like a case of tonal whiplash.
The final chapter feels like a tribute to blaxploitation cinema, such as Shaft (1971). The tale follows Sleepy Floyd (Jay Ellis), whose character is introduced straight from the start in a TV advert where he can harness the green energy that we see throughout the film.
The Nazis, present in all chapters, aim to rob Sleepy Floyd’s home. However, in the process, they kill his girlfriend. Floyd goes on a revenge spree with a leather jacket, katana, and shuriken, throwing stars and killing Nazis left and right, including their leader, Guy, who we unfortunately explosively met in tale of Entice and Barbie.
As far as the performances go, the cast has quite a large ensemble, but some standouts are Yoo, Pascal, Mendelsohn, and Thorne, who are all having fun in these character-driven roles.
I was particularly impressed with Ellis, who really sells this idea that Floyd can be some great NBA player and also secretly an action guy who can do flying kicks with ease.
At times, Freaky Tales feels mish-mash. But its combination of multiple characters and individual stories is also its strength. Largely, though, it has enough energy to make it an entertaining time.
Review Courtesy of Matthew Allan
Image Credits to IMDB via Lionsgate