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Vincent Gallo, Juliette Lewis, Stellan Skarsgård, Udo Kier, Alexander Skarsgård ... see more see more... , Sofia Helin

A man who hears voices in his head discovers he's not crazy, but something far worse is going on in this animated sci-fi drama from director Tarik Saleh. It's the year 2024, and the global oil supply ... read more read more...ha finally bottomed out; poverty is widespread, and with automobiles no longer practical, a system of underground trains links most of the cities of Europe. Roger Olafsson (voice of Vincent Gallo) is a low-level office worker who spends his days toiling away in a telephone center and his night cooped up in a tiny flat. One day, Roger begins hearing a voice in his head; the voice tells Roger that it is his conscience, and that he should take a chance and approach Nina (voice of Juliette Lewis), a beautiful woman he's seen while riding the train. Roger decides to take the voice's advice, but it turns out that he's actually been hearing messages from Stefan (voice of Alexander Skarsgard), a functionary of the all-powerful Trexx Corporation, and he's not trying to start a romance by pairing Roger and Nina, but tie the unsuspecting telephone worker into a plot involving a gang of terrorists. Also featuring the voice talents of Udo Kier and Stellan Skarsgard, Metropia was screened as part of the "Critics' Week" program at the 2009 Venice International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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55% liked it

2,646 ratings

Unrated, 1 hr. 26 min.

Directed by: Tarik Saleh

Release Date: May 12, 2010

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DVD Release Date: November 16, 2010

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Flixster Reviews (229)

  • flixsterman
    November 20, 2011
    flixsterman
    Freakishly clever animation!
  • ScoopOnline
    December 16, 2009
    ScoopOnline
    Someone is listening to your thoughts
  • gator681
    September 27, 2011
    gator681
    If you think the present day is bad enough, then try 2024 when Roger is a drone in call center hell, Northern European Division. That's even before he goes home to his small apartment and his loveless marriage. And then there is the voice which keeps him up all hours. To make ... read morematters even worse, his bicycle is wrecked the following morning, forcing him to take the subway. On the way to work, to his great surprise, he spots a woman who looks like the spokesmodel for a popular brand of shampoo. Figuring he still has enough time to get to work, he gives into his inner stalker and follows her to Stalingrad(!?!).

    First, "Metropia" has an intriguing visual style for an animated film, not only in mostly shades of grey with brief flashes of color, but also characters whose features are photorealistic while moving awkwardly. And like any self-respecting geek, I love a good dystopia. The problems arise out of a muddled plot and a need to make statements which go off in all directions at once.(For example, the game show is too openly cruel to be taken seriously.) Oddly enough, the story seems to have been written by people who have never ridden a subway in their lives, just observed it from a great distance and took pity on the poor souls who rely on it. For example, if one wanted to realistically critique the subway, then one would start with a definite sardine aesthetic and then move onto delays. For the majority of us who do ride mass transit every day, it is not so bad when we have something to distract us from the tedium which this movie was not so terribly helpful with yesterday.
  • MOVEECRITIC
    May 13, 2010
    MOVEECRITIC
    Three stars on the creative concept of this film. Animation is rapidly morphing as the progression of technology avails itself. Metropia gives evidence that the works of visual art are unlimited, inevitable.
  • tedrohe
    January 12, 2011
    tedrohe
    The only thing that seemed to bother me for the movie was that the animated technique reminded me of a "jib jab" animated clip. I expected them to break out into some hilarious song w/ GWB popping out somewhere.

    However, in all seriousness, this is a really original film and ... read moreapproach to a movie. I did like the animation and look of the film outside of my "jib jab" correlation. The movie seems to get off to a slow start and then towards the end it gets more interesting. The two main bad guys were well done and the main characters were interesting enough. The storyline and plot was ok. I guess the metro and other aspects where there for control more than anything. That and profits I guess.

    The only other thing that seemed to bug me was the stupid reality game show they had. It really made no sense, it was idiotic and a bit too cartoonish for me. Oh, and I also liked that they seem to poke fun of environmentalists...with the environmental movement becoming a religion and the environmental claims made in face of a fascist/corporate scheme. So all in all an ok movie with some really interesting creative twists.

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Critic Reviews

Jeannette Catsoulis
May 12, 2010
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times

Technically innovative but narratively moribund.

Simon Foster
September 12, 2011
Simon Foster, sbs.com.au

Metropia treads a well-worn Orwellian path (see: Brazil, 1985) but Tarik Saleh's debut compensates for the lack of narrative invention with stunning visuals. Full Review

Sean Axmaker
November 18, 2010
Sean Axmaker, Seanax.com

Corporate conspiracy, urban alienation and mind control through shampoo are stirred up in Tarik Saleh's animated science fiction dystopia... Full Review

Michelle Orange
May 12, 2010
Michelle Orange, Movieline

Click to read the article Full Review

James O'Ehley
June 24, 2010
James O'Ehley, Sci-Fi Movie Page

Click to read the article Full Review

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