Barry (2016)

A look into the early life of U.S. President Barack Obama.

Director:

Vikram Gandhi

Writer:

Adam Mansbach

Stars:

Devon Terrell, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jason Mitchell

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Devon Terrell	...	Barry
Anya Taylor-Joy	...	Charlotte
Jason Mitchell	...	PJ
Ellar Coltrane	...	Will
Jenna Elfman	...	Kathy Baughman
Linus Roache	...	Bill Baughman
Avi Nash	...	Saleem
John Benjamin Hickey	...	Professor Gray
Ashley Judd	...	Ann Dunham
Sawyer Pierce	...	Thad
Eric Berryman	...	Ali
Ralph Rodriguez	...	Andre
Danny Henriquez	...	Milton
Tessa Albertson	...	Tina
Tommy Nelson	...	Buzz

Storyline

A look at the early life of Barack Obama. Before he became President of the United States, he was one of the few black students at Columbia University NY in the early 80's. Faced with judgmental and racist opinions all around him, he tries to find his place in the world.

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Plot Keywords:

male objectification | bare chested male | barack obama character | student | locked out of apartment | 

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Taglines:

Before he was Barack, he was...

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Black Bear Pictures [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Swahili

Release Date:

16 December 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Барри

Company Credits

Production Co:

Black Bear Pictures,Cinetic Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Debut feature film of actor Devon Terrell who portrays the young Barack Obama.

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Goofs

Barry is seen wearing a Casio F91W watch throughout the movie. The movie is set in the early 1980's, but that model watch wasn't released until 1991.

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Quotes

Barry: You know, every time I open my mouth in class, it's like... I'm supposed to speak on behalf of all Black people. Meanwhile, I, uh... I quit going to Black Student Union meetings because I didn't feel like I belong there either.
Ann Dunham: The world is a big place, honey. You'll find your way.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Kevin James/Michael B. Jordan/Bon Iver (2016)

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Soundtracks

I Shall Be Released
Written by Bob Dylan
Performed by Nina Simone
Courtesy of RCA Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

A Look into the Angsty Teen inside Obama

This movie is not entirely what I was expecting; I expected a chronicle of the young life of Obama and his years at Columbia and Harvard. Instead, I saw a powerful story of race and a young man trying to find himself in a big city where he doesn't seem to fit in anywhere. The movie largely focuses on this concept of Obama not fitting in and seeming alone in the world; there are probably right around five minutes total of simply scenes of Barry smoking cigarettes by himself, pondering life. This is a tale of angst and identity. It shows a much more human side to our president that we don't get to see very often. At the very least, it will give you a more human understanding of the president and maybe you will be able to see the drive and optimism that he still has for our country. He is critical of the system and believes the people must make change happen, two ideas still similar to his beliefs, though due to the way Washington works, was simply unable to fully follow through on.

Overall, although it is a little slow at parts, it sends a powerful message about race and what it's like to not feel like you fit in anywhere.