The Congress

Perhaps if The Congress had been advertised differently, my review of this movie would be more favorable. As it stands, the poster used at Cannes is completely animated; Robin's avatar stands in a Seuss-like forest with a myriad of other bizarre cartoon characters. From the poster alone, one would assume the entire film to be animated. From the poster and the description together, one would think the film has a brief live-action prologue, and would quickly transform into the animated universe.

None of these assumptions proved to be accurate. Instead, the film spends nearly an hour in the present-day “real world,” where we learn about our main character's predicament. Robin Wright (played by herself), is a former star who hasn't been in a film in nearly a decade. Her agent, (played by Harvey Keitel), approaches Robin with a new deal from Miramount studios; have her entire body scanned and entered into a database where she can be digitally placed into any movie the studio desires.  After struggling with her conscience and the moral implications, Robin decides to go through with the process, and thus begins a two hour long moral struggle in both live-action and animated form.

My problems with this film do not lie with any of the cast members. Nor do I particularly find fault with the script (other than it being far too long). Instead, the majority of my discontent stems from the use of animation, which is a shame considering they make up half the film. The sequences use a hodgepodge of techniques and styles, none of which mesh well together. It almost seems as if Folman placed his team in front of a giant canvas and told them “You have five minutes to draw as many things as you can. Go crazy!” There is no cohesiveness, no visual through-line, and absolutely no sense of style. Nowhere is this more evident than in the transition into the “animation zone.” Twenty years after Robin signs her career away, she is invited to the Miramount-Nagasaki Futurist Convention as the poster child for scanning technology. The hotel is located in Abrahama, which is an Animated Only Zone – meaning everyone beyond that point is hopped up on hallucinogenic drugs that alters everyone's collective reality. Robin takes the drug while driving and when she checks her rearview mirror, an animated reflection stares back at her. Her car is animated, the hotel in the distance is comically large, and the road in front is more like a roller-coaster track than a safe speedway.

This by itself would have been enough to signify the huge reality shift Robin is processing. Unfortunately, the animators decided this would be a good time to showcase everything they've ever learned how to draw. The car becomes an airplane. An octopus is operating a Ferris wheel. Dolphins swim in the neon-hued sky. Everything is throbbing and changing colors every few

seconds, and I made a mental note never to drop acid if it's going to make me feel this violently ill. Animation, like the  science-fiction genre itself, should have been used to prove a point about our currently society and the direction it's headed towards. Instead, it was animation for animation's sake, and I found myself wishing desperately for Robin to get in her car and drive back home to her kids.

In contrast to the nauseating shift into animation, the change back into the real world is brilliantly executed. Robin takes a pill that flushes all of the hallucinogenic chemicals out of her system. The audience witnesses an eccentric cast of cartoons mingling in a crowded, flamboyant dining hall, and then – in the blink of an eye – the horrifying reality. A catatonic mass shuffling endlessly forward, their eyes glazed over the way heroin addicts' are. It is Robin desperation to to find out the truth of this once again new reality that truly stands out in an otherwise dragging piece.

           
The simple truth is, this story could have been told in a tight 90 minutes, and not lost any of its meaning. Instead, Folman chose to spend half an hour too long in both the real and animated worlds. By the end of the film I was exhausted, and not in the good way that signifies an emotional story well told. I was simply tired – of the characters, of the erratic animation, and of the weird, psuedo-political satire of the film industry. I appreciate the concept, and the cast did a phenomenal job despite the overbearing script, but there's no doubt in my mind that it was poorly executed by Folman and his team.

Directed by Ari Folman; Adapted by Ari Folman, based on the novel 'The Futurological Congress" by Stanislaw Lern; Cinematography by Michal Englert. In English. Running time: 2 hours.

WITH: Robin Wright (Robin Wright); Harvey Keitel (Agent); Jon Hamm (Dylan); Danny Huston (Jeff Green); Kodi Smit-McPhee (Aaron).