Once upon a time, there were three neighboring kingdoms each with a magnificent castle, from which ruled kings and queens, princes and princesses. One king was a fornicating libertine, another was captivated by a strange animal, while one of the queens was obsessed with her wish for a child.

Matteo Garrone’s usual realist style here employs chillingly dark, surreal tones in these uncanny fairy tales featuring stars Vincent Cassel and Salma Hayek. Three ingeniously interwoven stories—untamed, obscure, and at times violent—manifest the subversive potential of traditional storytelling.