How Long Is “Metropia”?

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 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.