"The Barbarian Invasions" (Language - French) (2003) - Movie Classics

I want to die like Rémy (Rémy Girard) in the French Canadian film “The Barbarian Invasions”, one of the life altering films one should never miss. And when the people who say those lines in the film are called for dining (extra features of the DVD), I want to dine with them, I want to listen to them, I want to tell about myself openly without any fence insecurity and not be haunted by judgmental eyes, I want to be myself. When we are done with the film and I stress to watch the dining sessions with the actors/actresses, we remain ourselves with our confusions, beliefs, sins, happiness and serenity.

It’s the one another bitter returning son in a movie, which is Sébastien (Stéphane Rousseau) to visit his father dying of terminal cancer, Rémy. They do not talk much. He despises his father for abandoning him and his mother along with a sister. Rémy despises him for not being the bookish and philosophical son, he wanted. He is the person who worships women and from the peace love era of the 60s. The age of liberalism to its extreme stretch and the revelries in heaven which they thought goes on for eternity. Time, the gifted betrayer has news for them, old age. He is in the brink of his life and still egotistical, still womanizing and yet clueless. But clueless is not bad and coming to terms with relationships are the part to coming to terms with death, and more than that with themselves.

Sébastien is called by his mother Louise (Dorothée Berryman), Rémy‘s ex-wife. He comes flooded with cash from London. With eventual altercation with his dad, he wants to return back with his fiancé Gaëlle (Marina Hands), but Louise reminds him of the days of sleepless nights Rémy had for him. We have heard many actors saying those in very many lines in numerous movies and when Louise tells those, it is the simplicity of the obvious. He slaps money to every nook and corner to get the luxurious facility in a poorly systemized health care system in the hospital. He calls his dad’s friends, invites them over and reunites them for one last time, at least for Rémy. He buys heroine through Nathalie (Marie-Josée Croze) daughter of one of his dad’s friends/mistresses, Diane (Louise Portal). There appears a tension of an unknown past in between them, but she has turned into a junkie and he has turned into the defined human of the 21st century.

Director/Writer Denys Arcand’s second venture in his trilogy (First being “The Decline of the American Empire” and third being “Days of Darkness”, both of which will be the next things to see), has a vision of his thoughts so lucid and eloquent to put in these people’s mouths. The film has its terms of irritability but those are the instruments of modernization, generation of economics and the absence of admiration over life. We do not know the real problems Rémy’s friends have, but they are the most accommodative and understanding people any one can be acquainted upon. They are believable because of the situation. Their friend is dying and more or less, it is the reflection of their lives ending too or at least the beginning of the end. Arcand does not use abundance of drama but the striking force of value system and liberation. He uses one’s own evaluation of life and it would be astonishing to see Rémy thinking about it as he is the character who has lived his life to fullest. But it is the grip of the unknown. “Embrace the mystery” says one character who believes in god to Rémy. How easy it would be if we practice that?

Existence, art and love were in limitless quantity during the times of 60s as they say. Philosophies explored, free love/sex and complete surrender to the hallucinations represents those three. It is a world of new revolutions as humans and it was embraced to unbelievable strengths, it exceeded and succumbed to its own uncontrollable growth. Now is the era of running towards perfect life. An era of straight lined path of money, power and the mirage word to be attained in life, settle. Rémy and Sébastien represent those two generations, and find truce. Not giving up their beliefs but respecting it.

Rémy has regrets. He believes himself as a failure not to leave behind a legacy as he describes. The fear of being unnoticed even when they are not going to be there is the power of death. What will become of us when something leaves from us and evaporates into the void of mystical questions? Will it be shine of light or wrath of darkness? Will it be nothing at all? The film is not the answers for those or not even questions it. It induces those questions. We live our life as we wish and become some one as we wish and control it. Rémy does that. He is no saint nor is he the evil sinner. He is the slice of the millions getting up in the morning to see the shine of light, called life.