The Barbarian Invasions

2003 death movie

Rating: 16/20

Plot: College professor and part-time philanderer Remy is dying. Not only that--he's dying with a few regrets. He spends his last moments on earth hanging out with friends, making peace with his estranged son and ex-wife, and befriending a heroin addict.

Don't be fooled by the poster for this one, friends! Despite its appearance on the poster, this movie does not have any shots of old man ass. It's still worth seeing, however, one of those that I can stack beside other movies that manage to be about death on the surface but really more about life--Ikiru, The Living Wake. Remy Girard's performance as the dying man touched me. His character's got a faux strength, but there's this hopelessness there as well, every spot on his countenance betraying this sadness because he knows he's messed things up. So much of the dialogue alludes to the past, both Remy's and humanity's. Lines--"The history of mankind is a history of horrors" or "History is a series of abominable crimes"--take on a double meaning. A central theme deals with the human need to have somebody there to forgive us for the horrible things in our past. I loved that line about embracing the mystery in order to be saved. This is a simple story with a hidden subplot about how "living grows on you," and although most of the story is driven by the dialogue (read: smart people acting all witty), there are some moving visuals as well. The trips through Canadian hospital halls are depressing enough, long shots following or in some cases leading the characters. There's a poignant shot of Remy sitting beside a lake, all the shots of his son (Stephane Rousseau) counting out money, that final twitch of Remy's mouth during the quiet death scene. Love the last image in his mind, the same as the first in his masturbation Rolodex. It was nearly enough to jerk tears from this middle-aged viewer. And wait just a second! Is that Philip Glass mixed in with all the classical music? Rousseau's performance is nearly as good as Girard's, but the beautiful Marie-Josee Croze comes along and nearly steals the show as Nathalie the heroin addict. It's a delicate balance between a victim and somebody who, as the drug dealer warned, will turn on you.

My question: Who are the titular barbarians? The 9/11 terrorists? Europeans, seen through the eyes of Native Americans? Remy's son, a representation of the evils of capitalism? Cancer?

This was a Cory recommendation, so maybe he can answer that.