Metropia

This as most of my postings/reviews of film is somewhat dated, primarily due to the fact that I wait for the dvd release since theater-going is rather expensive and often disappointing i.e Sucker Punch (2011), The Adjustment Bureau as well as others.  I do go to second run showings of critically acclaimed films when I can, but not as often as I would like. Independent films often escape me since I live in a relatively small market and indie films generally have a very short run if any at all.

Metropia a dark animated Swedish sci-fi thriller is an excellent film that was released on dvd by Tribeca Film in Association with American Express last November.  Jeannette Catsoulis in her review Dystopia Animated in the New York Times wrote: "The distinctive voices of Vincent Gallo and Juliette Lewis emerge from the lead characters in “Metropia” but provide no comfort: Tarik Saleh’s dystopian vision of a depleted, smog-engulfed, financially collapsed Europe in the year 2024 seems a touch too close to home. In any case, the real star here is the film’s eerily unsettling animation, a digitally manipulated photomontage that makes everyone look almost human — in a heavily medicated, genetically suspect kind of way." 

Synopsis

This sci-fi animated thriller directed by Tarik Saleh 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. Also starring Udo Kier, Stellan Skarsgård, Alexander Skarsgård, Sofia Helin.
--Joel Hoglund

As an aside Stig Larsson, author of the Millennium Trilogy, is listed below as one of the screenwriters

Cast & Credits

Primary Cast:

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

Director:

Tarik Saleh

Screenwriters:

Stig Larsson, Fredrik Edin, Tarik Saleh

Producers:

Kristina Åberg

Editor:

Johan Söderberg

Composer:

Krister Linder

Art Director:

Martin Hultman

Director of Animation:

Christian Ryltenius