The Congress (Ari Folman)

johnny_ultimate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rNSTizOsws

Finally got to watch this today after missing out at JDIFF. Director Ari Folman's follow-up to Waltz with Bashir is easily one of the most ambitious, moving, unique and completely maddening films I've seen this year.

Robin Wright plays 'Robin Wright' in a film that starts as a fantastical commentary on Hollywood and the increasing digitisation of cinema. The film than jumps through time and takes a shift into pure sci-fi and full animation, before taking several more radical leaps before the end credits roll. It's fair to say few will predict the many strange turns The Congress takes.

I have to say some of the sequences in the film are among the most beautiful I've seen in quite some time, and there are some very emotionally involving & powerful ones too. The themes it explores are numerous and intriguing, and it feels like a fresh take on film's past, present and potential future. In fact, it quite reminded me of Holy Motors in that scene, with its go for broke approach to storytelling and stylisation (the excellent 'scanning' scene here also was quite reminiscent of the green screen one in Carax's film).

But for all its successes - and there are many - I also found myself disconnected for chunks of the running time. Most notably IMO the animation chapters covered the whole spectrum from inspired to a total mess. For all its memorably surreal dreamscapes and affectionate homages to all manner of artists, Folman also seems to lose the run of himself in trying to establish a consistent sci-fi world. While thematically rich, the core conceit of a hallucinatory lifestyle is stretched in directions that are not always wholly credible, and the pacing is all over the gaff during the second act.

Despite these doubts, there are numerous moments when Folman brilliantly pulls everything together, including a jaw-dropping jump cut that elegantly transitions between two of the film's many worlds. Wright is the film's anchor, and her modest and grounded performance ensures the film never drowns in metaness (although 'Miramount' is not what I would call subtle :pac:). The Congress may at times be a mess, but it's a fascinating and wonderful mess, and well worth checking out if your local cinema is showing it.

e_e

Not so fresh on it since I saw right in the middle of JDIFF but recall it being barmy, intriguing and utterly unique. My kind of mess where the hits greatly make up for the misses.

Saw it last year and really enjoyed it though it was in the middle of a marathon run of films so many of them did start to blend. Been meaning to rewatch it since and must make the time over the next few days

charlie_says

I'm going to check this out for certain. Ari Folman's Waltz with Bashir is my favourite animated movie of all time, and ranks highly among my overall best films.

Would be great to catch this in the cinema but I don't think it will make it Galway...:(

charlie_says

Wow.

That was quite unlike anything I've seen before. It looks incredible, the animation style is totally mesmerising and the soundtrack is fantastic.

I'm pretty stunned after watching that just now. What an original piece of cinema.

charlie_says

Link to the excellent soundtrack on Youtube (if I'm allowed?)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd6eqzGtu3E&list=RD1tN2vt_tJU8&index=1

Max Richter is an excellent music producer.

Nate--IRL--

Watched this not knowing anything about it. Really caught me off guard. Certainly a unique film, and well worth the time.

Nate

david75

Really enjoyed this too. Knew nothing about it at all and it totally bent my mind for a while after it..

question for those who've seen it

those that are on 'the other side' in cartoon land or whatever it is..where are there bodies? i took it to mean they're all monged somewhere and the animated side is some sort of drug enabled telepathic internet or something..i couldnt put this together, did i miss something?