The long, long wait for “Waltz With Bashir” director Ari Folman‘s next effort “The Congress” is now nearly over. Whilst we’re still surprised that the director, who was in contention for a Palme d’Or in the main competition at Cannes in 2008 with ‘Bashir,’ has been relegated to the Directors’ Fortnight sidebar (perhaps “Seduced And Abandoned” has already filled the ‘Hollywood skewering’ Cannes slot,) there is little doubt that this is going to be one to track down. The first trailer alone promises a head-spinning experience.
Robin Wright leads the picture as…herself (well, a failed version of herself), an aging actress looking to stay relevant in a quickly changing digital world, who allows her likeness to be copied and used, only to fall down a rabbit hole of losing her identity. We have to say the live action stuff is probably the weakest element of this teaser, with both Danny Huston and Harvey Keitel (as various industry types), playing it a bit hammy. But once the animated stuff kicks in, it looks very impressive, with Folman clearly having a blast creating multiple, fully realized fantasy worlds.
How this all turns out, we’re dying to find out. Check out the trailer below and stay tuned for our verdict from Cannes on Thursday. [The Film Stage]
