The Congress (2013)

An aging, out-of-work actress accepts one last job, though the consequences of her decision affect her in ways she didn't consider.

Director:

Ari Folman

Writers:

Stanislaw Lem (novel), Ari Folman (screenplay)

Stars:

Robin Wright, Harvey Keitel, Jon Hamm

10 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Robin Wright	...	Robin Wright
Harvey Keitel	...	Al
Sami Gayle	...	Sarah
Jon Hamm	...	Dylan Truliner (voice)
Kodi Smit-McPhee	...	Aaron Wright
Danny Huston	...	Jeff Green
Michael Stahl-David	...	Steve
Paul Giamatti	...	Dr. Barker

Storyline

An aging, out-of-work actress accepts one last job, though the consequences of her decision affect her in ways she didn't consider.

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Plot Keywords:

satire | dystopia | cinema | tom cruise character | actress | 

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Taglines:

What would you give for an eternal youth? [Scandinavian Blu-ray]

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Genres:

Animation | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Israel Germany Poland Luxembourg Belgium France

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 July 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kongres

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

PLN 34,148,170 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$38,172, 29 August 2014, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$137,815, 7 November 2014

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bridgit Folman Film Gang,Pandora Filmproduktion,Opus Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Atmos Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The cinematography for the live-action scenes was by Michal Englert, the Polish cameraman who won the Sundance Festival's Best Cinematography award for his work on Jacek Borcuch's Lasting (2013).

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Quotes

Jeff: We at Miramount, want to... want to scan you. All of you - your body, your face, your emotion, your laughter, your tears, your climaxing, your happiness, your depressions, your... fears, longings. We want to sample you, we want to preserve you, we want... all this, this... this thing, this thing called..."Robin Wright".
Robin Wright: What will you do with this... thing ? That you call Robin Wright?
Jeff: We'll do all the things that your Robin Wright wouldn't do.

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Connections

References The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

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Soundtracks

If It Be Your Will
Written by Leonard Cohen
Performed by Robin Wright

User Reviews

Unique and splendid journey

The Congress is a one of a kind movie, directed by Ari Folman, the same genius who brought us Waltz with Bashir. I personally really enjoyed it even though I found it a bit messy at times.

The story evolves around Robin Wright, the famous actress we all know and who is playing here, her own self. Obviously, even though, she is playing herself, this movie only borrow facts from her life, it is not autobiographical...at all. Of course, Robin Wright is getting older and is not anymore the young & innocent actress we remember from The Princess Bride. Apart from these small facts, the story doesn't match Robin Wright's life. In this parallel world, she is an aging actress on the way of being forgotten, who is getting less and less movie offers, and who needs to take care of a sick little boy at home. Feeling powerless against the passing time, she decides to sell her body image to a film studio in order to remain young forever and come back to a more successful movie career. Then, starts an amazing journey in a colorful and unique universe that is shown through animation. But, of course, it is not only flowers and butterflies since, Robin Wright has very little control over her young, animated self.

The up side of this animation is that it is limitless since it helps creating a crazy universe with splendid creatures, brilliant scenery... it all seems very magical. On the other hand, I feel like this "other world" is pushed maybe a little bit too far, and it can confuse the spectator.

However, this movie passes quite powerful messages about existentialism, being part of a corporation, being dependent of your body image and most of all, it shows, metaphorically of course, what could be the future of the movie industry.

All in all, even though it has some flaws, I highly recommend The Congress, it leads you to a unique and unforgettable journey, and I think you'll remember this movie for a while.