Wes Anderson's Short Stories Collection Reviews

"It was all over, and he had done it,"

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

Wes Anderson recently released four shorts on Netflix based on four short stories written by Roahl Dahl: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, Poison, The Rat Catcher and The Swan. I never really considered the idea of Anderson creating a movie out of a Roahl Dahl book before these released, and now I can't imagine anyone else working on any other adaptations: the two compliment each other with their similar quirky and strange styles perfectly.

Anderson creates a story-like atmosphere within these shorts by having the characters narrate their own lives as they live them, which is something so unique that I adored about them and believe really made them special. He also uses Ralph Fiennes to play the part of Roahl Dahl himself, as well as the rat catcher, alongside other actors such as Benedict Cumberbatch, Rupert Friend, Ben Kingsley, and Dev Patel. Each story is so different and peculiar, that there is no other way to discuss them than individually.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

This short follows Henry Sugar, a man who learns how to see without using his eyes based on a story he read and uses this skill to win money through gambling. However, he doesn't feel content with his own cheating behaviour, so after being advised to give the money away for good, he spends the rest of his life gaining money for charities and helping those who are in need.

Anderson's interpretation of this story is melancholic, which is something he tends to add to his projects, creating a wistful ending with the death of Henry Sugar, while keeping that same whimsical vibe he adds to all his projects. It makes the story beautiful yet tragic, showing that mortality catches up to everyone regardless of how good of a person they are.

Poison

This story takes on a very different tone to Henry Sugar, where it displays a man who is convinced he is about to be bitten by a poisonous snake that has decided to lie on his stomach, and orders his assistant to call the doctor to help him remove it. When the doctor arrives, he works on getting rid of the snake only to discover that it isn't actually there, and the man who thought he was in danger goes into a frenzy after being accused of imagining it.

The intense vibes of this short contrast the gloomy story of Henry Sugar, as the tension builds when the audience begins to worry for the man's life until the anticlimactic ending where nothing has happened, and that's how it ends. It's an interesting way to create art, as it draws you in simply to disappoint you, making it more appealing in some weird, backwards way.

The Rat Catcher

Once again continuing with a very different tone, this short is about a man who kills rats for a living, but appears to take more joy in it than he should, by scaring his clients with the way he kills the rats such as using his teeth, forcing them to watch, after his plan to kill them with poisonous oats fails. It creates a sense of vanity and pride, as the man feels threatened by them questioning his abilities and his work, so he takes drastic measures to ensure they do not think he is weak. It's this sense of pride being damaged leading him to embarrass himself in order to save face that makes the audience almost feel pity for rat catcher, even if his job is inhumane.

This short is a lot more unsettling than the rest of them, as the man himself is shown to resemble a rat with his behaviour and looks, and the way he describes their deaths and murder is bone-chilling. Anderson's ability to take a small, practically meaningless story like this and create such an intense and thriller-esque short is astounding, and honestly makes me hope he creates more movies leaning towards horror in the future.

The Swan

This short, by far, is my favourite. It's about a boy named Peter Watson who loved birds and was bullied by two older boys, who then killed a swan and forced him to wear it's dead wings simply for entertainment. It is told from the perspective of Peter when he is an adult, showing how bullying affects people even into adulthood, and how the trauma can be so difficult to forget.

It is such a heartbreaking story told in such a beautiful and mesmerising way, demonstrating Anderson's skill of being able to take something so small and distressing, and turning into something wonderful and unforgettable. The story ends in this abrupt way, where the audience is glad to know the boy lived a successful life, but are left with this empty feeling as the once beautiful and protected swan is gone, thus showing the heartlessness and reality of our society. It is such a beautiful story, and has stuck with me since I watched it, thanks to Anderson's pleasing adaptation.

One great thing about these shorts is that not many people would have heard of these stories, or read these stories, before the Netflix adaptations, and now Anderson has given a platform and a visual interpretation for this stories to be heard and seen like they deserved to be, as they are all inspired around real events Roahl Dahl heard of, thus giving a life to what was once forgotten.