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Waiting for the Barbarians

Play trailer 1:50 Poster for Waiting for the Barbarians 2019 1h 52m History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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54% Tomatometer 95 Reviews 60% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
A local magistrate reevaluates his loyalty to his nation while holed up at a remote outpost.
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Waiting for the Barbarians

Waiting for the Barbarians

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Critics Consensus

Admirable in theory but disappointing in execution, Waiting for the Barbarians struggles to turn strong performances and worthy themes into affecting drama.

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Critics Reviews

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Tim Robey Daily Telegraph (UK) There's not much here for even the most ardent fan of overdetermined political fables. Rated: 2/5 Nov 22, 2020 Full Review Clarisse Loughrey Independent (UK) Its declarations are too easy, its conclusions too neat. Rated: 2/5 Sep 11, 2020 Full Review Danny Leigh Financial Times The screenplay is written by J.M. Coetzee, adapting his own 1980 novel with a strikingly free hand but the message left intact - the eternal awful irony of which Them should really fear which Us. Rated: 3/5 Sep 2, 2020 Full Review Ben Flanagan Vague Visages The datedness of the novel’s politics are swallowed by Guerra, who stages scenes with a typical stillness that, filled with croaky theatrical performances, becomes a non-style worthy of bad prestige TV. Feb 8, 2024 Full Review Serena Seghedoni Loud and Clear Reviews a brutally honest allegory of the war, with an exceptional Mark Rylance as the last kind man in an inhumane colonial empire. Rated: 4/5 Oct 22, 2023 Full Review Juan Pablo Russo EscribiendoCine Waiting for the Barbarians calls forth the spirit of '60s and '70s political cinema, when the seventh art began to criticize imperialism. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 6/10 Mar 3, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Johannes S The underlying idea along with solid performances and great set-design should make up for a great movie. Yet, the pacing is ultra slow and the story doesn't make sense most of the time. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 09/21/24 Full Review Rosana B Johnny Depp pode até ser um macho muito escroto, entretanto é inegável seu talento em fazer personagens caricatos e marcantes, como este por exemplo, Robert Pattinson também está ótimo... O filme Em alguns momentos são doloridos de assistir, apesar da violência não ser mostrada diretamente, e sim apenas os seus efeitos causa grande ojeriza e revolta aos mais sensíveis como eu... Então real quanto triste e revoltante... Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/05/23 Full Review Marc K Seems to be another one of those anti-white movies made by extreme leftists. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 08/21/23 Full Review Yelena M A film with a lot of depth. Underlying the hypocrisy of humans invading the lands of indigenous people under the presences of bringing democracy, civilization and order, while bringing nothing but destruction. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/25/23 Full Review Alejandro E When one country occupies another, who are the barbarians? The idea in the foreground looked interesting but it doesn't go deep enough into the moral conflict; and the cast is wasted on one-dimensional characters. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/16/23 Full Review Faiber Andrs M Really Bad, slowly and it has not end, a Lost of time Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 03/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Waiting for the Barbarians

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Movie Info

Synopsis A local magistrate reevaluates his loyalty to his nation while holed up at a remote outpost.
Director
Ciro Guerra
Producer
Monika Bacardi, Michael Fitzgerald, Andrea Iervolino, Olga Segura
Screenwriter
John Maxwell Coetzee
Production Co
Iervolino Entertainment, Ithaca Pictures
Genre
History, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 7, 2020
Runtime
1h 52m
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