Metropia
Metropia
Metropia
Directed by:
Tarik SalehComposer:
Krister LinderCast:
Vincent Gallo, Juliette Lewis, Udo Kier, Stellan Skarsgård, Alexander Skarsgård, Sofia Helin, Fares Fares, David Lenneman, Michael Mansson, Åke Lundqvist (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
In the year 2024, all of Europe is united by a vast web of underground subway systems, populated by an army of downtrodden drones. Roger (Vincent Gallo) is one such cog, but flouts the modern rail convenience in favor of biking through the incessant rain. His work is menial, his relationship is flatlining, and the lone distraction in his gray life is a fixation on a shampoo spokeswoman from one of his world's ubiquitous advertisements. One day Roger begins hearing voices. He also chances upon his shampoo model, the alluring Nina (Juliette Lewis), who seems to promise answers to the voices' origins. As Roger follows Nina deeper into the underworld, he finds himself unearthing an Orwellian conspiracy of shocking magnitude. Metropia is a visually arresting sci-fi noir, featuring a signature brand of surreal animation created by director Tarik Saleh specifically for this film. The desaturated palette and uncanny photorealism are an apt representation of Saleh's dystopian futurescape, one which is not shiny and new, but retrofitted and utilitarian, and where heroes are not courageous daredevils, but maybe just insecure paper-pushers looking for the meaning in it all. (Tribeca Film)
(more)Reviews (2)
Totally wrong. You can't do dystopia built on such a challenging narrative trick as an inner monologue, while possessing animation that even an amateur adventure would be ashamed of. Flatness and rigidity stand out all the more because the dubbing is more than awkward. For me, this is unwatchable eclecticism, and the more it steals from dystopian classics, the more it makes it much more hard to digest. Halfway through, I just gave up...
()
Metropia is an ambitious film that wanted to use experimental techniques and original visuals to create a feature-length animated film. Both of these aspects are fulfilled and together they create a world of an unpleasant dystopia, reminiscent of the famous science fiction novel "The Space Merchants" by Frederick Pohl, which depicts a world controlled by ruthless giant corporations, manipulative techniques, and ubiquitous advertising. However, the problem lies in the fact that it seriously lags behind in what makes an animated film what it is, namely the animation itself. Audiences have become accustomed to a truly dynamic development of animation techniques in the last 15 years, thanks to family animated films and phenomena like The Simpsons, considering animation simply as a matter of course. Perhaps this was the intention, but in that case, it is completely wrong and rather reflects a lack of skill. The film is slow, with an underdeveloped world and characters. I ultimately give it three stars for its certain exclusivity and originality because this production did not have significant competition in the past, nor does it have it today. Overall impression: 50%.
()