The Barbarian Invasions

R

Released Aug 30, 2003

1h 39m

Comedy

Drama

List

81%

Tomatometer

135 Reviews

88%

Audience Score

10,000+ Ratings

In this sequel to "The Decline of the American Empire," middle-aged Montreal-based professor Rémy (Rémy Girard) discovers that he is terminally ill with cancer. This revelation leads to his reconnecting with his son, Sébastien (Stéphane Rousseau), a finance expert living in London who has embraced ideals that are at odds with his father's socialist leanings. As Remy reconnects with his son, and other relatives and friends, they discuss everything from sex to politics to philosophy.

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Critics Consensus

A moving and heart-felt film from director Denys Arcand.

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David Stratton

The Australian

Arcand’s intelligent, witty, delicate film is a constant joy and for once the academy got it right — this foreign language film richly deserved its Oscar.

Jan 3, 2024

Full Review

Alexander Walker

London Evening Standard

It is a beauty. It blitzes all the phoniness, pretentiousness and political correctness around today, savages icons of popular and national culture, gives the finger to religious untouchables like Mother Theresa, and brought the house down.

Jan 10, 2018

Full Review

Will Self

London Evening Standard

Arcand's own script is delightfully fluid, his direction poised.

Jan 9, 2018

Full Review

David Walsh

World Socialist Web Site

The film is deeply eclectic and confused, the characters largely unreal and caricatured. Arcand has the unfortunate inclination to be paradoxical rather than penetrating.

Feb 16, 2021

Full Review

Felicia Feaster

Creative Loafing

[A] subtle and scrupulously intelligent film.

Jan 30, 2020

Full Review

Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

"The Barbarian Invasions" is an intriguing meditation on the inevitable fall of ideologies under the pressure of nature's laws.

Rated: B

May 4, 2009

Full Review

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dave s

Remy (Remy Girard) finds himself alone in the world after being diagnosed with a terminal illness. With the assistance of his ex-wife, he is able to reconnect with his son in an effort to establish some sort of meaningful relationship in the days before he dies. While director Denys Arcand's film could be accused of having too many talking heads, it provides some fascinating ruminations on politics, faith, history, mortality and the meaning of life. As friends and family gather around him in his final days, the film is touching without being maudlin, an insightful examination of how we live our lives and what ultimately is of value in the face of death.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

William L

A considerable improvement on its original iteration from the better part of two decades prior, The Barbarian Invasion feels more weighty and sincere than The Death of the American Empire as it contemplates death and life together, dealing in tragedy, love, friendship, and dismay in equal measure. There is a genuine sense of unpredictability in the story, with Rousseau's Sébastien unexpectedly hatching a scheme to source heroin by asking police officers, and then an unusual detour into the commercial value of art salvaged from churches as a discussion on the collapse of Catholicism in Quebec. There is a clear utility of the unique aspects of the film's setting, as well, with pointed criticisms of domestic healthcare featuring prominently alongside the views deep in a lakefront paradise. While the film does a good job building up a barbed but sincere sense of love among friends and family, there is still a weight pulling it down - the presentation of our returning cast of characters as the enlightened literati, lamenting the downfall of intelligence in society with their chummy, synchronized quotes and self-reflection. Seeing the full experience come to a conclusion is actually made all the better by the prior film's sense of superficiality, but it's still hard to relate to this group of highly promiscuous, wine-swirling former radicals. Perhaps it's simply a generation gap, and I'll appreciate the subtleties more with age. (3.5/5)

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/26/21

Full Review

Audience Member

Clearly, it is a moving and witty work but I think there is something missing, in order for it to be considered a masterpiece.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

david l

The Barbarian Invasions is one fine example of everything that is wrong with the Academy. Yes, the movie is very well acted, directed and it features good humor and dialogue once again. However, it lost the edge that the original had and it favors sappy cancer drama instead. It is a solid film, but way too emotionally manipulative. Thus, the original should have won an Oscar, and not the sequel.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Very good movie. Emotional and smart at the same time. Memorable characters all around. Some of the dialogue was a bit too random/misplaced though.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It may sound too off-beat for mainstream audience, but for the ones who embrace this journey, the result is a touching and witty drama about friendship and family bonds.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

Full Review

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Denys Arcand

Director

Rémy Girard

Remy

Stéphane Rousseau

Sébastien

Marie-Josée Croze

Nathalie

Marina Hands

Gaelle

Dorothée Berryman

Louise

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Synopsis

In this sequel to "The Decline of the American Empire," middle-aged Montreal-based professor Rémy (Rémy Girard) discovers that he is terminally ill with cancer. This revelation leads to his reconnecting with his son, Sébastien (Stéphane Rousseau), a finance expert living in London who has embraced ideals that are at odds with his father's socialist leanings. As Remy reconnects with his son, and other relatives and friends, they discuss everything from sex to politics to philosophy.

Director: Denys Arcand
Screenwriter: Denys Arcand
Distributor: Miramax Films
Production Co: Astral Films
Rating: R (Sexual Dialogue|Language|Drug Content)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: French (Canada)
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 30, 2003, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 11, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.4M
Runtime: 1h 39m

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