The Barbarian Invasions

What stands out first about The Barbarian Invasions is the confidence with which Denys Arcand establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Barbarian Invasions asks Rémy Girard and Dorothée Berryman to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Barbarian Invasions is established with useful clarity: During his final days, a dying man is reunited with old friends, former lovers, his ex wife, and his estranged son. That direct approach lets The Barbarian Invasions use its 1h 39m running time for character, atmosphere and consequence.

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At story level, The Barbarian Invasions turns During and the central character into the source of its main tension. The role played by Rémy Girard becomes the viewer's route through The Barbarian Invasions, especially when an important relationship begins to alter the situation. Denys Arcand gives The Barbarian Invasions momentum by allowing choices to create consequences instead of treating each scene as isolated information. Even when a difficult choice pushes the plot toward familiar ground, The Barbarian Invasions remains attentive to what that pressure means for its characters.

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The craft of The Barbarian Invasions is defined by well judged reactions, supported by well judged reactions rather than overwhelmed by decoration. Pyramide Productions gives The Barbarian Invasions a production framework in which performer rhythm can remain connected to story. Made from a Canada production context, The Barbarian Invasions uses setting and design to clarify mood before dialogue has to explain it. The technical finish of The Barbarian Invasions works because image, sound and editing appear to be serving the same immediate purpose.

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The Barbarian Invasions relies heavily on Rémy Girard, and the performance responds with enough specificity to carry changes in mood. The contribution of Dorothée Berryman gives The Barbarian Invasions a useful counterweight instead of merely echoing the lead. Stéphane Rousseau makes the smaller exchanges in The Barbarian Invasions count, often through timing rather than emphatic dialogue. Denys Arcand understands that The Barbarian Invasions becomes more persuasive when the cast can imply feelings before the script names them.

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Denys Arcand shapes The Barbarian Invasions with an approach that feels dependable even when the material becomes familiar. The best directed passages in The Barbarian Invasions establish an objective, let the characters respond and then allow the pressure to change naturally. Familiar choices gain value from committed execution in The Barbarian Invasions, particularly when Denys Arcand resists the urge to underline an already clear emotion. My main reservation about The Barbarian Invasions is that some developments arrive well before they surprise, a limitation that interrupts rather than defines the experience.

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Beneath its plot, The Barbarian Invasions is most interested in embarrassment, status and the gap between confidence and reality. That concern becomes visible through Rémy Girard, whose choices allow The Barbarian Invasions to explore an idea without stopping for a speech. During gives the themes of The Barbarian Invasions a concrete dramatic form rather than leaving them abstract. The emotional value of The Barbarian Invasions grows whenever Denys Arcand trusts the audience to connect behaviour with the larger question.

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The lasting judgement on The Barbarian Invasions is a satisfying recommendation with minor reservations for comedy fans who respond to personality and timing. The Barbarian Invasions earns that response through the focus of Rémy Girard, the contribution of well judged reactions and the direction of Denys Arcand. It remains true that some developments arrive well before they surprise during The Barbarian Invasions, which keeps enthusiasm measured. Still, The Barbarian Invasions understands the experience it wants to create and communicates that intention with recognisable personality.