By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)
Directed by Ari Folman
Screenplay by Ari Folman
A dystopian future is firmly presented in the movie, The Congress and not everyone, including audiences, will realize it. Here, it weaves both satire and science fiction into one superlative Alice in Wonderland style narrative with elements of Yellow Submarine, Cool World and The Matrix weaved in. Maybe on a second viewing, audiences can fully appreciate this film for what it is.
For most of the first act, this movie superbly pokes fun at the Hollywood system about how it treats its own people. From its producers, stars and cinematographers, they are nothing but cogs in a wheel. Back in the Golden and Silver Age of filmmaking, these products were being developed in a formulaic manner. But in the early days when cinema was fresh out of the womb, filmmakers were allowed to express themselves because the rules were not established. But when the business of making a film became more prominent, it had to follow a system.
Continue reading “[Victoria Film Festival ’14] Just What is The Congress About? An Analysis”