Customer Reviews

The Barbarian Invasions (Les Invasions Barbares) [VHS]

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Infrequently, if at all, does a film for general release revolve around normal, natural death, i.e. one not brought on by fanged space aliens, world-renting cataclysms, wild gunfights, or some other Tinseltown special FX. Hollywood script writers should walk though any cemetery sometime. Not since the 2001 tour de force, WIT, starring Emma Thompson, has the topic been intelligently portrayed. Now comes THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS, a powerful French Canadian film of albeit misleading title.

London investor Sebastien (Stephane Rousseau) is summoned home to Quebec by his mother, Louise (Dorothee Berryman) to attend the approaching death of his father, Remy (Remy Girard). Father and son have been long estranged - ever since Remy and Louise divorced. Remy, an outspoken Professor of History and a self-described "sensuous socialist", has spent his life indulging in wine, women, song, and learned conversation. Especially women. The reunion shows little promise of succeeding, especially after a stormy shouting match in Remy's bleak hospital room that leaves the audience facetiously asking, "That went well, don't you think?" But, after Louise reminds her son of a paternal love long forgotten, then filial duty and guilt compel Sebastien to use his considerable wealth to arrange an easier transition for Old Dad by improving the conditions of his hospitalization, and to gather around his treasured friends, colleagues, and mistresses.

The "star" is Remy, who, at the end of his life, contemplates and comes to accept the final sum of it. This exercise would be thought-provoking enough in itself, but writer/director Denys Arcand also interweaves into the plot such prickly subjects as socialized medicine, euthanasia, and the use of illegal drugs to ease terminal medical conditions. About universal health care as practiced in Canada, in the bureaucratic, union-controlled, and overcrowded web of which he is now entangled, Remy stubbornly rants that since he voted for it, he certainly wasn't going to run off to the United States for something less squalid.

Every role in this Cannes Film Festival award-winner is excellently played. Best Actress went to Marie-Josee Croze as Nathalie, the heroin-addicted daughter of one of Remy's ex-mistresses, who is recruited by Sebastien to obtain the banned substance to ease his father's suffering. Remy's lust for life has a profound effect on the young woman.

THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS is a film to be viewed by everyone who'll one day die. Unfortunately, the majority of moviegoers will stay away, opting instead for the mindless bread-and-circus fare habitually doled out into the cinematic trough by the major studios. Shame!

The last twenty or so minutes of the film, which are set at a lakeside cabin, contain some of the most poignant and emotionally powerful moments I've seen recently on the Big Screen. Lucky is the person who can say to those gathered around his/her deathbed:

"Sharing with you this modest life has been a delight".

Note: This film was seen at a pre-release screening sponsored by the distributor, Miramax.

It was rather surprising to learn that this anti-socialist movie won a Foreign Film Oscar. Denys Arcand is well-know for his biting satire of Québécois society, against the clergy in Jésus of Montréal and against Québécois politics in this movie. Invasions Barbares is a sequel to the famous Le Déclin de l'Empire Américan (The Decline of the American Empire), where he philosophizes on the end of the American hegemony based on history and some fast-and-dirty sociology.

In this movie, the Fall of the American Empire is represented by the WTC attack, but the bulk of the movie is not concerned with the United States but with Quebec. In this, Rémy (Rémy Girard), the history professor with a high libido, is dying of cancer and his previous relationships give him no solace. Everyone from Déclin comes back to support him in his hard times, including his estrangled son Sébastien (Stéphane Rousseau, a humourist who plays this serious role with great talent). He's become a resourceful and prosperous man of finance, and uses his money to bribe hospital officials to give his father his own floor, and dips his toe in the underworld to get heroin to alleviate his father's pain.

Rémy admits that his life has been rather pointless, and that the social utopia proposed by Québecois intellectuals has failed. This point is reinforced by the dingy and corrupt (but unfortunately realistic) portrayal of the health care system in Québec, and the failure of the War on Drugs. The movie is far from being all drama : a commentator noted that it was not as much about death as it was about life. He also calls his son Sébastien one of the barbarians invading utopia, a saviour of the state in which he (and Québec) has placed himself.

There is still a lot of talking in this movie, like in Déclin. Everyone is there to put their two cents in. But at least this time the discussion is not the only proeminent part of the movie, which makes it more of an interesting piece rather than a long tedium.

The Barbarian Invasions is nothing if not a chatty movie, almost every character is well developed and most of what is said is amusing without the self-satisfied piety or strenuous jokiness of garden variety Hollywood flicks.

A man on his death bed, Remy, invites all his friends and family hoping in such a reunion to pass on his pearls of wisdom, and to reconcile all that has remained undone or that shouldn't have been done.

Woven around this seemingly simple frame are many relationships, all explored richly and with fluid rhythm, and some fabulous dialogue veering around insightful ideologies.

For instance, Remy and his son wage what seems to be a lifelong argument, the young man defending his free-market values, faith in technological progress and ascetic lifestyle, and Remy extolling the virtues of socialism and epicurean excess. I was surprised to see some footage of 9/11 in support for the negatives that accompany American-style capitalism.

The title of the film may derive from the bloody history of mankind and all the 'isms' that we've dabbled in (marxism, leninism, etc) -- all of which are talked about in a pseudo-intellectual but riveting manner among these friends -- but there is an unmistakable undercurrent of the ultimate barbaric invasion: time, which wastes us without answering the questions of our intellect and spirit. Remy concedes in anguish at one point, "I haven't found a meaning. I have to keep searching".

The mood is not always this despondent though, it shifts effortlessly between defiant exuberance and wistful contemplation without ever being mawkish. To an Asian like myself, the concept of having many women, all in presence of each other and not minding it, may be a bit too French, but perhaps the way we get introduced to our protagonist's many infatuations is so warm that it'd be difficult to think of it as anything other than totally sweet.

For all its urbanity and cultural contradictions of global capitalism, this marvelously humane film ultimately tugs at the core of what matters most to us and peppers it with some broad and devilishly funny chitchat. Couldn't recommend it highly enough, buy it! You'll be seeing it more than once.

Les Invasions Barbares (barbarian Invasions) is an excellent film, directed by a master artist. The
film is about so much more than a relationship with a son, it speaks to the universal struggle of
man facing his own mortality while taking stock of what his ideals and whether he has achieved
anything worth note in his life. The final words from Remy's adult daughter (I won't spoil it) will
break any parent's heart.

It does not surprise me that some reviewers, who are less familiar with French Canada, missed the
important part of the point. French culture within Canada is a huge contributor to our civil
society in general and to our art community specifically. Remy and his friends were not just
mourning his coming death but rather all of the reality that has dampened their dreams from the
cultural, sexual and quiet revolutions of the 60's and 70's.

This film is a celebration of family, friends and in the end dying well.

Just a note for a couple of the right wing reviewers who were salivating over the negative
portrayal of Canadian medicare. I have never been in a Quebec hospital but I certainly have been
in ones in Ontario, and even the humblest was far superior to the one depicted in the film. Most
hospitals in Canada are state of the art facilities. I suspect that the director used a bit of artistic
exaggeration to make his point. It's true that Canadian hospitals are busy, because they serve
100% of the population, there isn't a 20% un-insured under-class here.

This DVD package comes with a 98 minute theatrical version as well as a second disk that is 112
minutes long. The bonus feature (located on the 98 minute disk) is worth the purchase price of
the DVD all on its own. Instead of the usual boring interview with the director and the light
technician, Barbarian Invasions brings the whole cast together at the cottage setting, from the
film, for a full meal with lots of wine and discussion. During the discussion you will come to
realize that like so many French Canadian actors, these folks are real thinkers. They debate
politics, society, film etc.

Barbarian Invasions proves that Canadian directors can produce film of a European calibre. I
would highly recommend this film to anyone who appreciates good, intelligent film!

Remy Girard is a sarcastic, portly, middle-aged-man, dying of cancer in an over-crowded Montreal hospital: seemingly a victim of his own rancid bile and Canada's medical/health system. But whereas most men in his predicament would have no one around who cares enough to visit, Remy has family, ex-wives, ex-mistresses and school friends who love and care for him and who gather around him to bid him a fond farewell. And therein lies the dichotomy of Denys Arcand's "Les Invasions Barbares": a bilious, learned, opinionated man and professor who has somehow miraculously touched the lives of many of those around him; who are there for him when he needs them.
What is so rich about this film is that all of the supporting characters have such particular and vivid lives and Arcand makes it a point to stop and examine them ever so briefly yet succinctly. These are not stock characters but fully developed people with the imprimatur of humanity and emotionality. And though Arcand doesn't have much time or many scenes to make these lives real, he does so with just the right amount of incisive screen time.
"Les Invasions Barbares" is not only a family story though; it is also an indictment of Canada's Health System and its Unions. Remy's wealthy son Sebastien is able to secure a private room for Remy through bribery of not only the Union Hospital workers but of its Administrators as well ("We're not in the Third World" she says as she greedily eyes the cash). This is played for comedy but it also has the sting of reality and social commentary.
"Les Invasions Barbares" is ultimately about Remy's life, how he has led it and how he deals with the consequences of his actions. He's at St.Peter's door and now he must qualify as well as quantify his long life. All told, Remy comes out a winner because, despite his crusty exterior, he loved and was loved. And that pretty much makes him a winner in anyone's book.

It is a great shame that in English speaking countries, foreign language films languish in art house theatres and rarely garner a wider audience. "The Barbarian Invasions", based in Quebec and using French for most dialogue, falls into this category despite winning an Oscar for best foreign language film.

"The Barbarian Invasions" covers the lingering death of Remy and the efforts of his often estranged son to repair past damage and encourage a final meeting with his friends. In the process, the father and son become reconciled and learn humility from each other. There is the evident truth that blood is thicker than water.

Remy's friends are an eclectic group although they can all be described as intellectuals except his son who, despite receiving a good education, reads no books and prefers video games for enjoyment. This fact notwithstanding, the son is a successful investment banker based in London who is prepared to spend the time and money to ensure that his father's finals days are rich and comfortable.

To all readers of this review, please do not be discouraged by the fact that the film is sub-titled. To dismiss a film for this reason is to deny access to a raft of great films. "The Barbarian Invasions" is one such film.

A somewhat lovable epicurean womanizer (Rémy Girard as Rémy) is dying of cancer in the hallway of a crowded Quebec hospital. His accomplished millionaire son Sebastian (Stéphane Rousseau) decides that as a fitting last gesture of love for his partially estranged father he will make dad's last days as happy and comfortable as possible. To this end he gets him not just a private room, but a private floor in the basement of the hospital by bribing the right people. He recruits a handful of Rémy's old friends and ex-lovers to come and visit him amid sumptuous servings of food and wine. He pays some ex-students to come and remember their not exactly beloved teacher. And finally he gets a strayed family member Nathalie (Marie-Josee Croze who won the Best Actress award at Cannes for her performance) to procure and administer heroin to Rémy for his pain.

Girard is excellent in the part (although he carries a bit too much weight for a guy about to die of cancer); but what makes this an outstanding film is the award-winning script and direction by Denys Arcand. This is a movie that is witty, honest, funny, sentimental (but not too sentimental), deeply human, candid about life, love, sex, and death, and filled with the kind of sharp, satirical dialogue that all screenwriters wish they had the ability to write. However this movie will offend some people, which accounts for some of the nasty reviews.

First, there is the little matter of heroin. Arcand makes the experience seem like something wonderful and absolutely necessary in a medical sense. But a closer look reveals that this justified use is only for Rémy who is a terminal patient in excruciating pain. Note that Nathalie is a junkie who is ruining her life and knows it.

Second, there is the candor about Rémy's sex life and the many risque jokes including some from an old gay couple that may offend some mainstream viewers. And there is an elitist feel to the intellectual atmosphere of the gathered friends that will not set well in America's (or Canada's) Heartland. And some will be offended by the implication from Sebastian's arrogant and successful behavior that money can buy almost anything and that corruption is the order of the day. And finally there is the matter of euthanasia which some viewers find immoral.

However this is not primarily a political movie. The dialogue that refers to the evolution of some of the characters from socialists to deconstructionists, is kind of like somebody from say Texas recalling that "I used to be long-haired hippy but now I'm clean-shaven evangelical." It's appropriately atmospheric talk from Rémy's academic world. The real story here is about how to live and how to die. Arcand's prescription is to live life to the fullest and to die peacefully in your sleep. This is the civilized way, and that is part of the reason that the film is ironically called "The Barbarian Invasions" (from a line in the film). When it comes to civilization the barbarians are always at the gate.

Of course if we want to get symbolic, the barbarian invasions could include the cancer itself, especially when we consider that Rémy is a history professor who has spent a lifetime reading, writing and lecturing about barbarian invasions. (By the way, whether the 9/11 attacks on the US are barbarian invasions is again beside the point of the movie.)

Bottom line: this film won a slew of international awards including the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2004. It is one of the best films I've seen in a while. I would rate it in my top one hundred of all time.

This movie is a true revelation. You`ll face a fight against the death but not tearful, just braveful.
The amazing script is simply extraordinary. All the cast is superb, specially Marie Josee Croze, winner in Cannes 2003 like best actress.
Watch this film and consider it from now a new classic canadian cinema.
And remeber Tarkovski`s statement: The death doesn`t exist, just the fear to it.

I first heard of the movie in Spain and the recommendation was that if you were over 50 see it twice and those under once. This is what I want to experience in my final days. There was not a dry eye in the audience after the movie, and it took about five minutes for people to stand up and leave after the credits. You will experience the whole spectrum of emotions: fear, love, joy, hate, and most of all compansion. Compansion is the central theme.

Mirroring a climactic era of moral reversal, Denys Arcand has distilled the alternative to living a good and honorable life into a hazy Czaristic fantasy - surrounded by supplicants, oblivious to truth and pending a tragic demise. Unfortunately, there are enough stumbling blocks to understanding this movie's message that morally-challenged, cultural elitists can effortlessly misinterpret it so as to validate their own inclinations. To them, the film's hero, Remy, bumbling through life by exploring mediocrity, is a lovable cad, who gets rewarded at life's end with all the detestable things to which he has grown accustomed. The mistaken message being celebrated is that one can engage in all manner of moral turpitude, but in the end everything will fall into place - no harm done. Given his abuse of a power relationship with an intern, our former American president has done much to sensitize society's intolerance to such creatures. These days, cads are more likely to end their lives alone, betrayed, and afraid. So what's the real message?

Despite its snob-appeal, Les Invasions Barbares supports traditional values by mocking what can fairly be termed "compassionate liberalism". It's not a straightforward tragedy, comedy or farce, although there are elements of all these simple plot devices. The needed nuance for exploring this film's true meaning is recognizing that it's a compound tragedy. It maintains the elements of the classic Greek model in that the hero must die for his transgressions. Yet, the plot is infused from the beginning with the redemptive possibilities characteristic of the Yov (Job) model. Redemption starts with identifying one's failings, and that recognition is the penultimate element in Greek tragedy. But, Remy's recognition occurs in the beginning of the film, at the hospital and in the presence of his longsuffering wife. He acknowledges failures in his commitments to his wife, his family, and his chosen profession. Here the audience is left on a knife edge; it's too early to end the film by having Remy die, so we are left with the delightful possibility that Remy can use this newfound consciousness towards a redeemed future.

Any hope for redemption takes a swift detour with the arrival of the son, Sebastian, and the aftermath of Remy's self-indulgent and self-justifying outburst against him. Remy refuses to hear the very facts that support his own recent reflections. Sebastian is incapable of dealing with his conflicted and still immature father. Bowing to his mother's need to maintain family dignity, he copes by yielding to his father's false pride. Throughout the rest of the film, Remy is tortured by indecision and a consciousness of truth that bobs intermittently to the surface, only to be sucked down by internal turbulence. Too often Remy slips back, addicted to his past and to the narcotic of soothing lies that he has told himself over the years. Self-deception is the rule during a trip to the American clinic. The trip back to the hospital brings news of the judgment - disease prognosis, terminal.

From here on, Sebastian is the major protagonist, and his actions only serve to thwart any possibility for Remy's psychological rehabilitation. Not extending to his father the ability or desire to make any change, Sebastian lavishes Remy's remaining time with a mind-numbing array of deceptive gimmicks designed to assuage his father's twisted heart. These include cynically paying off Remy's students and the implied coaching of Remy's daughter, who by sailing the high seas has symbolically removed herself as far from her father's world as possible. Sebastian insincerely flings his sister's heart-wrenching productions onto Remy's eager lap. By her final correspondence, she is so overcome with regret that her actions can't match her forced spin; she can no longer face the camera (if only he could have been an honorable man). Reinforcing Remy's failure to find redemption are the ever-present societal symbols of unrepentant corruption and the systemic denials that permit their perpetuation. Chief among these are a self-serving healthcare bureaucracy and a Quebecois infrastructure rife with trade union and mob-connection lubricity. Sebastian too easily negotiates what are frustrating impediments to rational people, expertly manipulating the surrounding sleaze to his own design.

Sebastian also dredges up a rogue's gallery from Remy's past, some weary yet unrepentant loose ladies, as well as a pair of eccentric male homosexuals. As expected, leftists superficially view these extra characters in a sympathetic light, because on the surface their presence appears to help Remy. However, a mainstream audience can quickly recognize that their dialogue, rather than being uplifting, is coarse and grating. By the evening scene at the cottage, Remy's friends from the past appear to be the Devil's own harpies, whose only purposes are to reassure Remy about his past and to blind him to any self-realization. Premonitions of Remy's violent demise are intermittent news footage and analyses of the 9/11 tragedy. Similar to Remy's disease, these barbarians are striking inside the corpus. It's always understood that barbarians can only succeed after advanced moral decay. To that end, Remy's coterie of flatterers further tarnishes itself by adding to the background Bush-bashing served up by likeminded television network flunkies. Without giving away the ending, there is no moral ambiguity surrounding Remy's necessary death; the matter has been enforced by the right-minded people of Michigan, thanks ironically to CBS News and 60 Minutes (Jack Kevorkian). It is yet another stumbling block employed with immense import.

Sons regularly envision fathers in light of painfully missed opportunities, often vowing never to make the same mistakes. Anticlimactically, Sebastian narrowly rejects repeating his father's cycle of banality. On a personal note: My own dying father asked me, `why had god given him cancer, since he had always loved god'. I could have gotten angry and asked him why he thought that half of our family sacrificed its dignity by refusing to be with him. Alternatively, I could have insincerely parroted his self-pity; thus, giving him no chance or reason to reform. On this point, I chose to say nothing.