Entertainment

'The Congress' has Robin Wright... as Robin Wright

by Alanna Bennett

When celebrities play themselves in films, it always comes with some inevitable questions: "Why are they doing this?"; "What statement are they trying to make here?"; "Is this telling us anything about how we, as the audience, view these people in our everyday lives?" So Robin Wright playing herself in The Congress is an interesting case, because it's obvious by the film's first trailer that they're trying to say something — it'll just be interesting to see how the surprise format twists in this particular movie will make that happen. For example: How do the many format changes play into their commentary on Hollywood?

The Congress premiered at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and is gearing up for a theatrical release. The film follows Wright as Wright, taking her "final" job in Hollywood after gaining fame and recognition throughout the years starting with The Princess Bride. That final job involves a complete scan of her body/face/emotions/laughter/tears/etc and the studio then "owning this thing called Robin Wright." That plays pretty well into how society as a whole likes to view celebrities: As Chloe Moretz said recently about Hollywood culture, "it's kind of depressing because, instead of being actors, we're now just entities, which isn't our job."

And The Congress certainly seems interested in taking that on: Actress as product seems to be the major theme here. Then things get animated, and generally weird. See for yourself:

Image: Drafthouse Films