METROPIA: Tribeca Film On DemandApril 27, 2010
Tribeca Film
The 2010 Tribeca Film Festival has begun in New York City. New this year is a selection of films available to watch the same day on VOD.
On Demand Weekly provides new movie reviews of hot movies on demand from the POV of watching from the comfort of your home. Today’s review: Metropia.
Director Tarik Saleh began as a Swedish graffiti artist whose father was a stop-motion animator. He initially never wanted to be involved in animation (it’s an art for cloistered nutters) until he found a method of utilizing the popular effects software After Effects to develop a new animation technique. Once he found his method, he developed characters and a look that would be the foundation for Metropia. All he needed was financing…
Metropia tells the story of Roger, a worker cog in a future European dystopia (2024) where the varied countries have been linked by subway and the majority spend their lives underground. Roger works in a cubicle making calls and has a lifeless relationship with his girlfriend. One day he hears a voice in his head giving him commands and strangely decides to follow an attractive woman he recognizes from his shampoo bottle label. A few decisions later, Roger finds himself at the center of a bizarre corporate conspiracy including a central figurehead and the beginnings of a mind-reading industry determined to control people’s thoughts and actions (involving, predictably, Television - but unpredictably, shampoo).
The film is voiced in a mostly matter-of-fact style by Vincent Gallo, Juliette Lewis, Udo Kier and fellow Swedes Stellan and Alexander Skarsgard (apologies for my keyboard failing to create the strange little circle over the A). Special mention goes to the composer (Krister Linder) who delivered an ethereal but interesting score.
Clearly influenced by Kafka, Orwell, Philip K. Dick, THX 1138, etc. Metropia delights in a constant state of paranoia, an oppressive environment and lousy standards of living. A Hitchcockian type of suspense pervades as the film comments on the state of free will. Already strange in concept, the director chose to make things even weirder by skewing perspective. The characters are exaggerated bobbleheads with giant, expressive eyes that move and speak in an uncomfortable fashion. Backgrounds are beautiful in their ugliness.
So how did Tarik Saleh secure financing? By using a trick few people can pull off. He wrote a script the backers wanted to make and then made the uncommercial project they never would have gone for. Ballsy – and worthy of a true narcissist. But he believes – remaining true to his counter-culture beginnings – that unusual films very few people see are the important ones because they influence other artists on a level that mass-distributed ones never do.
The results are a blessing and a curse. This is indeed a film for a niche or “cult” audience, so he got his wish on that front. Not sure if the financiers will get theirs. Cult film types will want to check it out (you know who you are). The fan in me of all those other luminaries mentioned above is glad he saw this film even though it wasn’t particularly entertaining – but maybe that’s just a nerd voice in my head telling me that.
Get brainwashed at Tribeca or on demand now!
Sean McPhillips is a contributing writer to On Demand Weekly. He is a former vice president of acquisitions for Miramax Films (During Harvey's reign). He is a current writer/director for NY-based Secret Hideout Films. as well as Festival Coordinator, Programmer for the brand new Gold Coast Film Festival (to make its debut in June, 2011)
Metropia On Demand
Available until 6/16/10
$6.99 /Rated TV 14 / 82 min
Read Sean's review of other Tribeca Films
Climate of Change
http://ondemandweekly.com/blog/article/climate_of_change_tribeca_on_demand/