True-Blood.net Reviews ‘Metropia’

Synopsis: Metropia takes place in a not-so-distant future. The world is running out of oil and the underground train systems have been connected into a gigantic subway network beneath Europe. Whenever Roger (Vincent Gallo) from Stockholm enters this system he hears a stranger’s voice in his head. He looks to the mysterious Nina (Juliette Lewis) to help him escape the disturbing web of the Metro, but the further they travel, the deeper he’s involved in a dark conspiracy.

When the opportunity to screen this film was presented to me, I took it because I knew that Alexander Skarsgard lent his talents to it, and I was curious. He is the voice of Stefan, the “stranger’s voice inside Roger’s head.” I pretty much had a general idea of what the film was about and I had seen the trailer online. I knew it was a hit at Tribeca and the critics are really liking it.  It’s probably a good thing that I am not a professional film critic because it just wasn’t my cuppa tea.

There’s no denying that the film was well thought out and well written. The visuals reflect the story in rainy and cold, dark gray colors. The music is short bursts of sound rather than a full-on, rich score. The animation is clean and interesting. After that, I’m at a loss for describing this movie. It’s not like I can say, “Wow, Alexander Skarsgard really nailed this role! His acting was spectacular!” How do you do that with only a voice to an animated character?

Metropia is clearly politically driven, which isn’t a bad thing – but it’s not my thing. However, I can’t deny that I was as curious as Roger was in following the mysterious Nina and finding out what the connection was between her and the voice in Roger’s head, whom we discover is an actual person, separate from Roger. Oddly enough, Roger and Stefan look and sound very much alike.

Roger

Stefan

If you lean more toward drama and thought-provoking films, Metropia is for you. On my own unprofessional scale, I give it a 2 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Voice cast: Vincent Gallo, Juliette Lewis, Udo Kier, Stellan Skarsgard, Sofia Helin, Shanti Roney, Fares Fares, Alexander Skarsgard

Director: Tarik Saleh
Screenwriters: Stig Larsson, Fredrik Edin, Tarik Saleh
Producer: Kristina Aberg
Director of photography: Sesse Lind
Art director: Martin Hultman
Music: Krister Linder
Editor: Johan Soderberg