Southland Tales is an insane mess of a movie.
I don't believe I am taking a big risk in suggesting that the vast majority of people will despise this film. I have to confess however that I loved it!
Being a rabid fan of Richard Kelly's previous opus, Donnie Darko, may have coloured my opinion somewhat!!! I was far more open to giving the movie a chance than nearly all the reviews I have read of it.

The movie is different, original, and completely unlike any other film you will watch this year. It takes risks in bringing this weird sci-fi tale from the mind of Richard Kelly to the Cinema screen. It is a movie that appears to have been influenced by the consumption of opiates! The most endearing feature of Southland tales is however how unapologetically different the movie is to the staple diet available for movie-geors who consume from the Hollywood trough.

The movie does have its flaws, in fact they are too numerous to mention here, but it dares to be original. And in todays day and age of remakes and sequels this is surely something to be lauded.
The movie IS an insane mess. It IS very difficult to follow and the cutting and editing of the movie has sacrificed the understanding of the story to fit in with the demands of how long a Hollywood movie should be. It is certainly not in the same league as Donnie Darko, but if one can look past all its problems, it is an original, entertaining work that takes risks that most of the staple fare from Hollywood would never even consider.

One caveat however would be, if you are to have even the slightest idea of whats going on I strongly recommend one reads the graphic novel trilogy that Richard Kelly wrote as the first three parts of the Southland Tales. They act basically as a storyboard for what occured before the start of the movie.
Without reading them one could be lost. If you do, Southland Tales can become a very involving piece.