ANCHOR HOST: The Congress had its premiere at the San Diego Jewish Film Festival earlier this year. Now it returns for a run at the Digital Gym Cinema. KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando says it prompted a lively discussion at the festival. During the post-film discussion for The Congress back in February, some people applauded its artistry while others dismissed it as a mess but no one left the theater without a strong reaction. Ari Folman’s film raises questions about art and about who has ownership of an actor’s image in this age of computer technology. CLIP We at Merrimount want to scan you, all of you, your body, your face, your emotions, your laughter, your tears…we want to sample you, to preserve you and we want to own this thing called Robin Wright. Robin Wright plays an alter ego of herself. CLIP And what will you do with this thing you call Robin Wright?... All of the things you wouldn’t do. The film – which mixes live action and animation -- is deliberately provocative and visually stunning as it explores where art and technology may take as we move into the next century. It also looks to what moral problems we might encounter. Folman is used to asking complex questions and stirring controversy. His previous film was the Oscar-nominated animated documentary Waltz with Bashir. With The Congress, he takes more artistic risks and while not everything succeeds, there’s more than enough to dazzle the adventurous filmgoer. Beth Accomando, KPBS News.
Companion Viewing
"The Princess Bride" (1987)
"Waltz with Bashir" (2008)
"House of Cards" (2013, Netflix Series)
"The Congress" had its premiere at the San Diego Jewish Film Festival earlier this year. Now it returns for a run at the Digital Gym Cinema (opening Sept. 5).
When "The Congress" screened at the San Diego Jewish Film Festival it stirred a lively post-film discussion among the panelists as well as the audience. The film screened back in February, and one panelist said it wasn't a "crowd pleaser" so it shouldn't have been screened. I suggested that a festival venue is precisely the place to screen a challenging and artistically daring film. Some audience members applauded its artistry while others dismissed it as a mess, but no one left the theater without a strong reaction. And that's a good thing.
Ari Folman’s film raises questions about art and about who has ownership of an actor’s image in this age of computer technology. Robin Wright plays an alter ego of herself, and as an actress who is no longer an ingenue she faces some prejudice in Hollywood — most notably from studio head Jeff Green (Danny Huston). But he has a proposition for her, a contract to end all contracts.
"We at Marymount want to scan you, all of you, your body, your face, your emotions, your laughter, your tears… we want to sample you, to preserve you and we want to own this thing called Robin Wright," Green tells Wright.
To which she replies, "And what will you do with this thing you call Robin Wright?"
"All of the things you wouldn’t do," he says.
That's not very reassuring. But Wright agrees and then the film slips into a trippy, animated, dreamlike state to further explore issues of where art and technology might us take as we move into the next century. The film mixes live action and animation and is deliberately provocative and visually stunning. It also looks to what moral problems we might encounter in a world where anything can be created digitally and presented as real.
Folman is used to asking complex questions and stirring controversy. His previous film was the Oscar-nominated animated documentary "Waltz with Bashir." With "The Congress," he takes more artistic risks and while not everything succeeds (the second half of the film sprawls out and drags a bit), there’s more than enough to dazzle the adventurous filmgoer.
Here's a sample.
