Barbarian Invasions

Year: 2003

Grade: B

Country: Canada

Director: Arcand

Review

there are plenty of films about death out there, but not many of them are all that good. ikiru (aka to live) and magnolia are the best films i know of that deal directly with death. barbarian invasions, though not in the same class as ikiru or magnolia, is certainly one of the better films about the subject. it’s a touchy subject and it’s tough to get the balance just right. it can’t be all about weeping and solace. magnolia is able to balance it through multiple storylines and comedy, ikiru incorporates other themes and performances that absolutely sell everything you’re seeing, and the barbarian invasions uses comedy and the introduction of other themes to help balance the DEATH motif. the film manages to talk about everything from history and philosophy to sex and the state of healthcare in canada. all these things, and the multiple storylines (a recovering heroin addict being the most cliche) serve to keep the film flowing enough that things don’t get stale or too heavy. all the performances are good. actually the best performance was by the man’s daughter who we only see twice because she’s at sea and has to send video via a satellite link. her performance reminded me of Beatrice Straight who plays william holden’s ex-wife in network…she had something like 8 minutes of camera time and still won the academy award. at any rate, the film is well-structured and very well-written. it has plenty of balance, comic relief, depth of themes, good performances and is an intellectual film…in other words, it’s academy award bait.