Swedes have a more humble sense of national pride compared to some other nations (*hint*hint*lol), they regard themselves as tigers but merely modest ones! The same goes for their cinema, its not often you see swedes toot their own horns even though they’ve certainly have had many reasons to do that. Recently another one of these modest tigers has found its way to the international scene, an animated feature called “Metropia“. In a visually unique style and stunning expression the Swedish-Egyptian graffiti artist gone television debater and director Tarik Saleh has managed to create an Orwellian dystopia charged with a Kafka-esque paranoia.
As you can see in the trailer Metropia does not only represent something of a signature style in terms of animation (which looks marvellous on Blu-ray) but it is also something of a maverick in the full-length film context, taking the short film formula and expanding it to fit the mainstream format. It features voice-over by Juliette Lewis, Vincent Gallo and the Skarsgårds (father and son). However despite its technical impeccability it tends to come a bit short in terms of dramaturgy and suspense that sustains all the way through. Nevertheless this is an achievement not only for Tarik Saleh as a director but also a milestone for the international cinema. Sadly, due to its modesty, it will remain an unappreciated one!
