Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
On Quartile, The Congress scores 7/10 across five categories — strongest on Plot (Above Average), weakest on Ending (Below Average).
An aging, out-of-work actress accepts one last job, though the consequences of her decision affect her in ways she didn't consider.
Ari Folman's wildly ambitious hybrid film blends live-action and psychedelic animation to explore identity, commodification, and the future of cinema with remarkable audacity. Robin Wright's performance anchors the live-action segment with raw vulnerability, and the animated sequences are visually extraordinary — a genuinely singular aesthetic achievement. The concept is bracingly original, drawing on Stanislaw Lem's novel while carving out its own strange territory. However, the narrative loses cohesion in its animated second half, and the ending feels unresolved and emotionally unsatisfying, failing to crystallize the film's ambitious ideas into a resonant conclusion.