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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) 11/22/2020
2/5
There's not much here for even the most ardent fan of overdetermined political fables. Go to Full Review
Clarisse Loughrey Independent (UK) 09/11/2020
2/5
Its declarations are too easy, its conclusions too neat. Go to Full Review
Danny Leigh Financial Times 09/02/2020
3/5
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. Go to Full Review
Ben Flanagan Vague Visages 02/08/2024
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. Go to Full Review
Serena Seghedoni Loud and Clear Reviews 10/22/2023
4/5
a brutally honest allegory of the war, with an exceptional Mark Rylance as the last kind man in an inhumane colonial empire. Go to Full Review
Juan Pablo Russo EscribiendoCine 03/03/2023
6/10
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] Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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frandigar V Jun 4 A cruel and yet poetic fable about war and colonialism. See more Johannes S 09/21/2024 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. See more Rosana B 09/03/2023 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... See more Marc K 08/20/2023 Seems to be another one of those anti-white movies made by extreme leftists. See more Yelena M 07/25/2023 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. See more Alejandro E @Alex970 04/16/2023 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. See more Read all reviews
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
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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