The Barbarian Invasions

Canada's Denys Arcand delivers a beautiful film with THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS, the story of a man on his deathbed who is joined by his distant son and all his closest friends throughout the last--wonderful and loving--days of his life. A follow-up to 1986's THE DECLINE OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE, the same characters from that movie reappear this time around. Now Remy (Remy Girard), the horny history teacher, is hospitalized and in pain. But at the urging of his wife Louise (Dorothee Berryman), Remy's son Sebastian (Stephane Rousseau) comes to his aid. Sebastian is a banker who tosses cash around, paying hospital administrators, union workers, Remy's former students, and even a local heroin dealer, to help make his father's last days of life as comfortable as possible. Along with this financial commitment also comes love, and the relationship between this father and son is touching. The sometimes raucous and comic mood of the film, generated by perverted stories and silly jokes, stands in striking contrast to this serious story of life, sickness, and dying. But it is that balance, which Arcand keeps so neatly in check, that makes THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS a truly great cinematic feat, as well as a thoroughly enjoyable viewing experience.
Academy Award Winner for Best Foreign Language Film 2003 and Denys Arcand and Marie-Josee Croze won awards at Cannes too for Best Screenplay and Best Actress respectively.