Today’s quick review: The Congress. Looking back on a career of missed opportunities, actress Robin Wright (Robin Wright) lets her agent Al (Harvey Keitel) talk her into selling her digitized likeness to Miramount Studios to use however they wish. Years later, Robin travels to an exotic hotel to renegotiate her contract with studio executive Jeff Green (Danny Huston), only to find herself trapped in a chemically induced hallucination.
The Congress is a surreal science fiction drama loosely based on a novel by Stanislaw Lem. Robin Wright stars as a fictionalized version of herself who decides to sell her identity for one last shot at stardom. The Congress touches on far-reaching themes that include family and show business, escapism, technological advancement, and questions of identity and self. The result is an imaginative film with powerful ideas and an esoteric plot.
The most striking feature of The Congress is its mixture of live action and animation. Much of the movie is set in a future where advanced chemicals have turned reality into a subjective, cartoonish dreamscape. The Congress makes the most of this premise, flooding the screen with classic-style cartoon characters and psychedelic imagery that give it a unique visual style. However, the surreal nature of the visuals is bound to be hit-or-miss.
The Congress’ story is a mixture of grounded personal drama and far-flung speculation. The early parts of the film deal with the uncomfortable reality of Robin’s life. Her advancing age and her own choices have brought her career to an end, leaving her only one option: to cash in on Miramount’s plans for the future. The remainder of the film is much more abstract, spinning this personal thread into a bizarre trip through the future.
How much you get out of The Congress will come down to taste. The movie’s far-fetched premise, strange plot, and numerous dream sequences make it a challenging watch. It has neither the coherence nor the emotional resonance of more conventional films, and nearly all of its payoff comes from the ideas it presents to the viewer. Fans of puzzling, abstract sci-fi will find it to be a rare treat, but most other viewers will find it unsatisfying.
For another fictionalized look at the life of an actor, try Being John Malkovich or JCVD. For a more cheerful blend of cartoon and reality, try Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. For an animated sci-fi movie about a surreal dreamscape with a richer plot, check out Paprika. For a similarly abstract fantasy, try Mr. Nobody or The Fountain. For another surreal journey through an animated world, try Yellow Submarine or Mirrormask.
6.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for bold ideas woven into an inaccessible story.