The Barbarian Invasions Movie Review 2003

Writer/director Arcand reunites characters from his 1986 film "The Decline of the American Empire" to capture the last days of lecherous, lustful divorced academic Remy (Girard), hospitalized with terminal cancer in his fifties. Through some pleading by his ex-wife (Berryman), estranged son Sebastian (Rousseau) reconnects with his father and deftly orchestrates his twilight days. He upgrades his medical care, persuades ex lovers and colleagues to come and see him off, and sneaks him heroin to ease the physical pain. Takes a few jabs at the Canadian health care system while showing how life and death can be celebrated. Sparkling performances by all, with clever writing that avoids being overly sentimental or maudlin, well deserving of its win in Cannes.

Distribution

Not Yet Released

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 110 minutes.
Originally from Canadian, French.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Terminal Illness, Montreal, Hospitals & Medicine, Nuns & Priests, Drug Use & Abuse, Family Drama

Screenplay

Denys Arcand

Cast

Remy Girard, Stephane Rousseau, Marie Josee Croze, Marina Hands, Dorothee Berryman, Johanne-Marie Tremblay, Dominique Michel, Louise Portal, Yves Jacques, Pierre Curzi

Cinematography

Guy Dufaux

Director

Denys Arcand

Music

Pierre Aviat

Other

Patrick Rousseau, Isabelle Dedieu, Caroline Adler, Denis Sperdouklis, Francois Seguin

Producer

Denise Robert, Daniel Louis, Cinemaginaire Inc., Pyramide Productions, Miramax Films

Awards

Oscars 2003: Foreign Film; British Acad. 2003: Orig. Screenplay; Cannes 2003: Actress (Croze), Screenplay; Natl. Bd. of Review 2003: Foreign Film.