Barbara

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Barbara

Released Oct 12, 2018

1h 38m

Biography

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

84%

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19 Reviews

44%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

When a director sets out to make a film about popular French singer Barbara, both he and the actress who is to play her are overwhelmed by the project.

Glenn Kenny

New York Times

Mr. Amalric plays Yves as a still-besotted fan of Barbara, and as a director he's a still-besotted fan of Ms. Balibar's. He is wise in his enthusiasms.

Oct 11, 2018

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Chuck Bowen

Slant Magazine

In Barbara, the process of filmmaking is shown to be a nesting series of shells that allow one to be simultaneously freed and lost.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 8, 2018

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Guy Lodge

Guardian

An oddly alluring film that does a double backflip on hokey showbiz-bio convention: not an informative introduction to the singer by any means, but a suitably eccentric evocation of her creative essence.

Rated: 3/5

May 19, 2017

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Dustin Chang

Floating World

Amalric is an astute student of cinema. He is keenly aware of the medium and knows how to benefit from its possibilities but not in a showy way. His aimlessness is also his best asset. The film is rhythmic, fluid and free. One of the year's best.

Feb 13, 2021

Full Review

Mikel Zorrilla

Espinof

Barbara deviates from what is expected from a conventional biopic, and its proposal includes several stimulating points with which, unfortunately, Amalric never manages to do anything worthwhile. [Full Review in Spanish]

Jul 24, 2019

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Javier Ocaña

El Pais (Spain)

An explosion of formats and textures, layers of narrative, aesthetic, like vital onion layers, in which everything is confused and nothing is incomprehensible. [Full Review in Spanish]

Apr 10, 2018

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David B

Very interesting and unique approach to a biopic that explores the singer but still maintains the mystery surrounding her.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

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Audience Member

Just you ggiihoyktjkkko

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

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Audience Member

Incoherent and erratic...singing was great, the rest was boring and tiresome.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

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Mathieu Amalric

Director

Jeanne Balibar

Brigitte

Mathieu Amalric

Yves Zand

Vincent Peirani

Roland Romanelli

Aurore Clément

Esther

Grégoire Colin

Charley Marouani

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Synopsis

When a director sets out to make a film about popular French singer Barbara, both he and the actress who is to play her are overwhelmed by the project.

Director: Mathieu Amalric
Producer: Patrick Godeau
Screenwriter: Mathieu Amalric, Philippe Di Folco
Production Co: France 2 Cinéma, Waiting For Cinema, Gaumont, Alicéléo
Genre: Biography, Drama
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 12, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2018
Runtime: 1h 38m

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