The Barbarian Invasions (2003)

During his final days, a dying man is reunited with old friends, former lovers, his ex-wife, and his estranged son.

Director:

Denys Arcand

Writer:

Denys Arcand

Stars:

Rémy Girard, Dorothée Berryman, Stéphane Rousseau

Won 1 Oscar. Another 49 wins & 34 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rémy Girard	...	Rémy
Stéphane Rousseau	...	Sébastien
Marie-Josée Croze	...	Nathalie
Marina Hands	...	Gaëlle
Dorothée Berryman	...	Louise
Johanne-Marie Tremblay	...	Sister Constance Lazure (as Johanne Marie Tremblay)
Pierre Curzi	...	Pierre Citrouillard
Yves Jacques	...	Claude
Louise Portal	...	Diane Leonard
Dominique Michel	...	Dominique St. Arnaud
Isabelle Blais	...	Sylvaine
Toni Cecchinato	...	Alessandro
Sophie Lorain	...	First Lover
Mitsou	...	Ghislaine (as Mitsou Gélinas)
Markita Boies	...	Nurse Suzanne

Storyline

In this belated sequel to 'The Decline of the American Empire', 50-something Montreal college professor, Remy, learns that he is dying of liver cancer. He decides to make amends meet to his friends and family before he dies. He first tries to made peace with his ex-wife Louise, who asks their estranged son Sebastian, a successful businessman living in London, to come home. Sebastian makes the impossible happen, using his contacts and disrupting the entire Canadian system in every way possible to help his father fight his terminal illness to the bitter end, while he also tries to reunite his former friends, Pierre, Alain, Dominique, Diane, and Claude to see their old friend before he passes on.

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Plot Keywords:

dying | cancer | hospital | philosophical | father son conflict | 

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Taglines:

A provocative new comedy about sex, friendship, and all other things that invade our lives.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, sexual dialogue and drug content

Details

Official Sites:

Bim Distribuzione [Italy] Official site

Country:

Canada France

Language:

French English

Release Date:

5 March 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Barbarian Invasions

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$1,688,557 (France), 26 September 2003

Opening Weekend USA:

$79,650, 23 November 2003, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$3,432,342, 30 May 2004

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,289,563, 7 November 2003

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pyramide Productions, Cinémaginaire Inc., Astral Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min 112 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

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Goofs

The position of the cars outside the window changes when Sébastien first meets Nathalie in the restaurant.

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Quotes

Hospital Patient Assistant: [speaking English] Good morning, guys. Welcome to America.
Rémy: [in English; sarcastic] Praise the Lord.
Sébastien: [also sarcastic] Hallelujah.

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Connections

Featured in The Hour: Episode #7.72 (2011)

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Soundtracks

Concerto Op. 6 No. 6 in G minor
Music by George Frideric Handel (as Haendel)
Courtesy of Chris Stone Audio Productions Ltd.

User Reviews

The director has not asked any more of us than that we accept the possibility death need not be proud when its victims use it to affirm life.

`I hope I go like that!' This is one of the cliches we toss around when we hear of someone's pleasant death, ideally just slipping away in sleep. Canadian writer/director Denys Arcand (This is a sequel to his 1986 `Decline of the American Empire') has framed just such an occurrence without the sleep in `The Barbarian Invasions.' Here the protagonist, Professor Remy (Remy Girard) exits with his friends, lovers, and family celebrating his life as he gently cedes to death.

The `barbarian invasions' are death in the form of 9/11, the usual footman accompanying all of us, and those cretins not lucky enough to have the wit of the players in Remy's life drama. In each case death begs to be confronted. The confrontation in this film is the celebration, where all living is acclaimed. Remy confirms his lust for life in jovial intercourse with friends and mistresses and his sadness at leaving.

Perhaps too conveniently, Remy reconciles with his estranged son, Sebastian (Stephane Rousseau), who has made a fortune in risk management but never risked getting to know his father until the end. (If this setup sounds familiar, Tim Burton covered the same ground recently in `Big Fish.') A junkie, Nathalie (Marie-Josee Croze, the Cannes winner for best supporting actress), supplies the heroin for Remy's last days but is on the way to rehabilitation and even snags Sebastian's affection. In short, things work out nicely at this lusty professor's death. The director has not asked any more of us than that we accept the possibility death need not be proud when its victims use it to affirm life.

Arcand not only does an exceptional job keeping `Barbarian Invasions' from the maudlin; he also deftly handles dramatic challenges like Sebastian naively asking the police to help him locate a heroin dealer for his father's pain or subtly suggesting Remy's stiff laced son may reprise his dad's priapic life.

George Herbert said of death, `Thou art grown fair and full of grace/ Much in request, much sought for as good.' This film comes close to that ideal state. See `The Barbarian Invasions' for ideas about how to celebrate your own barbarian invasion.