Waiting for the Barbarians (2019)

A Magistrate working in a distant outpost begins to question his loyalty to the empire.

Director:

Ciro Guerra

Writers:

J.M. Coetzee (based on the novel by), J.M. Coetzee (screenplay by)

Stars:

Mark Rylance, Johnny Depp, Robert Pattinson

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mark Rylance	...	Magistrate
Johnny Depp	...	Colonel Joll
Robert Pattinson	...	Officer Mandel
Gana Bayarsaikhan	...	The Girl
Greta Scacchi	...	Mai
David Dencik	...	Clerk
Sam Reid	...	Lieutenant
Harry Melling	...	Garrison Soldier 4
Bill Milner	...	Garrison Soldier 5
Gursed Dalkhsuren	...	Old Man
Tserendagva Purevdorj	...	Old Barbarian
Isabella Nefar	...	Star
David Moorst	...	Garrison Soldier 6
Joseph Long	...	Baker
Nayef Rashed	...	Farmer 1

Storyline

At an isolated frontier outpost, a colonial magistrate of an unnamed empire suffers a crisis of conscience when an army colonel arrives looking to interrogate the locals about an impending uprising, using cruel tactics that horrify the magistrate.

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Plot Keywords:

loyalty | judge | screenplay adapted by author | barbarian | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Ciro Guerra's English language debut.

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Soundtracks

Winter
Music by Marco Beltrami & Buck Sanders (ASCAP)
(p) 2019 Pianella Music, Inc.
Courtesy of Marco Beltrami & Pianella Music, Inc.

User Reviews

A message but not a story

Watched this movie with no expectations more than a slight interest in late 19th century colonial history. Past mid-point I started to ask myself when it would truly begin, for the story never felt intriguing to me, neither did the characters (although there were one or two scenes with Johnny Deep that were enjoyable). By the end of it I had to search for an explanation of the movie, on the internet, since I was convinced that I had missed some key elements somewhere; but no, to my big surprise I seemingly managed to stay focused enough to catch it all. So what is there to this movie?

In my opinion, it's very focused on delivering a message, so much that it takes away from what could have been at least somewhat of an interesting story; the message itself is clear not long after the beginning of the movie and once you get it, you've had it all.

And what about my interest in history? Well, the movie takes place in "the Empire" and the soldiers came from "the capital", more than that I don't know. Some more action could've helped a little, but no, there's barely any action either to save it. You are in for a slow-paced movie, with a weak story and decent acting, trying to deliver a message.

Details

Country:

Italy USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 August 2020 (USA)

Also Known As:

Waiting for the Barbarians

Filming Locations:

Marrakech, Morocco

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$743,183

Company Credits

Production Co:

Iervolino Entertainment, Ithaca Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1