The Congress
Director: Ari Folman
Talent: Robin Wright, Harvey Keitel, Jon Hamm
Release Date: 15th August 2014
In the near future a has-been actor, Robin Wright (Robin Wright), is offered a large sum of money in exchange for her digital likeness. Her body and emoticons are scanned into a computer and she retires from acting.
Moody early sequences involving Robin, her agent Al (Harvey Keitel) and the pushy head of a fictional film studio (Danny Huston) are the best moments of The Congress. These scenes present an interesting science fiction hook and a probing look at the star system, particularly its treatment of ageing starlets: it’s intriguing stuff.
These promising beginnings give way to indulgent nonsense as director Ari Folman transports us into an uninspired cartoon wonderland for the remainder of the film. The shift from live-action to animation halts The Congress in its tracks. The character designs and backdrops are hideous, as is the animation, which moves stiffly. This artless aesthetic is nothing we haven’t seen in Cool World, a famously ugly film that somehow manages to look better than The Congress in every respect.
Words: Luke Maxwell
For more film coverage this month, see our reviews of Moebius, The Hundred Foot Journey, Million Dollar Arm, Into The Storm, Deliver Us From Evil, Obvious Child, The Expendables 3 and We Gotta Get Out Of This Place.
