Damian Supervivientes

Damian “Damián” Szifron’s *Relatos Salvajes* (Wild Tales), released in 2014, is an anthology film featuring six standalone stories, each exploring themes of revenge, social injustice, and the loss of control in modern Argentine society. While no story is explicitly titled “Damian Supervivientes,” the concept of ‘survivors’ or ‘surviving’ permeates each narrative, albeit in drastically different and darkly comedic ways.

The film opens with “Pasternak,” a chilling premonition of social connection gone horribly wrong. The characters, all strangers on a plane, discover a shared connection: they all wronged a man named Gabriel Pasternak. The story becomes a macabre study in mob mentality and orchestrated revenge, with the passengers ultimately becoming victims of Pasternak’s meticulously planned scheme. The ‘survivors’ here are those who were NOT connected to Pasternak, the innocent bystanders oblivious to the unfolding drama. Their survival is purely circumstantial, a testament to the randomness of fate.

In “Las Ratas” (The Rats), a waitress recognizes a ruthless loan shark who ruined her family in her diner. The cook, a former convict, urges her to poison his food. This episode delves into the moral complexities of revenge. The waitress initially hesitates, but the cook’s relentless encouragement and her own pent-up rage finally push her to the brink. The ‘survivors’ could be interpreted in multiple ways. The waitress, in choosing to act on her anger, survives her own passive suffering, but at a significant moral cost. Conversely, the loan shark, if he survives the attempted poisoning, survives the targeted attack, but his future remains uncertain.

“El Más Fuerte” (The Strongest) depicts a road rage incident that escalates to absurd levels. Two men, driving different cars, engage in a deadly duel on a deserted highway. They begin by exchanging insults, then progress to physical violence, ultimately destroying both vehicles and becoming trapped together. The ‘survivors’ in this scenario are debatable. Are they survivors of their own anger and pride? Are they survivors of a near-fatal encounter? Or have they simply survived to face further consequences? The ambiguity is unsettling and thought-provoking.

In “Bombita” (Little Bomb), a demolition expert has his car towed and faces bureaucratic absurdity in trying to get it back. His frustration mounts with each nonsensical regulation and indifferent official. He ultimately snaps, bombing the impound lot. The ‘survivor’ is arguably Bombita himself. He survives the soul-crushing weight of systemic injustice by choosing to violently rebel, albeit with devastating consequences for his career and life.

“La Propuesta” (The Proposal) portrays a wealthy father attempting to bribe the prosecutor and the gardener to take responsibility for his son’s hit-and-run accident. This story highlights the stark inequalities of wealth and power. The ‘survivors’ are the wealthy family, who use their resources to evade accountability, leaving the gardener to bear the brunt of the consequences. However, the gardener, although manipulated and exploited, may also be seen as a ‘survivor,’ having secured a substantial sum of money for his complicity, even if it comes at a great personal sacrifice.

Finally, “Hasta Que la Muerte Nos Separe” (Till Death Do Us Part) showcases a wedding party gone completely off the rails when the bride discovers her husband’s infidelity. The wedding transforms into a battlefield, with the bride unleashing her fury on everything and everyone in sight. In this chaotic climax, everyone is a ‘survivor’ in some sense, enduring the emotional and physical carnage of the disastrous celebration. The bride and groom, despite the destruction, seem to reach a twisted acceptance, suggesting a survival of their relationship in a profoundly unconventional way.

In conclusion, while not a character name, “Damian Supervivientes” encapsulates a key theme of Szifron’s *Relatos Salvajes*. The film examines how individuals react when pushed to their limits, exploring the lengths they will go to in order to survive – morally, emotionally, and even physically – in a world that often seems absurd and unfair. Each story offers a dark and comedic commentary on the human capacity for both resilience and self-destruction.