One of the more intriguing films to open in a limited run this month has got to be Ari Folman’s The Congress. It stars Robin Wright as a version of herself, agreeing to sell her image to major studio Miramount (hehe) and undergo digitization to preserve her image for future productions. The film has already prompted a split in critical opinion, but it looks like a provocative story about more than just the possession of a star’s image.
In a new featurette from The Congress (courtesy of The Playlist), Wright discusses the issues of digitization, motion capture and the relationship of a star to her own digital likeness. She also touches on what the future of acting might entail, as well as the continued importance of an actor even in the age of CGI. The interview plays over images and scenes from the film, which provides an interesting supplement to Wright’s words. We also get to see a little bit from co-star Harvey Keitel, as Robin Wright’s longtime agent, and Danny Huston, the head of the interestingly named Miramount Studios.
This film seems interesting from more than a thematic standpoint as well. What we’ve seen of the animation is truly beautiful, and the combination of live-action and animation more than usually evocative given the subject-matter. Folman’s other acclaimed work is Waltz with Bashir, so we can expect some gorgeous images from The Congress. I might just have to bite the bullet and spring for a VOD copy on this one.
The Congress has been in limited release in US theaters since the end of August, and available on VOD since July. With some of the buzz that it has been getting, maybe we’ll actually get a wide release before long. Until then, you can check out the latest featurette below.