The Barbarian Invasions
Aug. 12th, 2004 04:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chickenfeetI watched The Barbarian Invasions this afternoon. I enjoyed it more than any serious film I have seen in quite some time.
Decline of the American Empire has long been one of my favourite films and Denys Arcand one of my favourite film makers. Barbarian Invasions picks up the lives of many of the main characters from DAE 20 years later. The main theme of the film is the dying Rémy's attempt to come to terms with his life, his past, his children and his mistresses. Structurally, the film is a masterpiece. It starts out in a hilarious (if depressing) parody of an overstressed Montreal hospital (memo to self: never get sick in la belle province) before drawing us back by stages into the environment of Decline of the American Empire. Rémy's wealthy son bribes the hospital and the union into creating a private room that is oddly reminiscent of the urban settings in the earlier film. The gang reassembles and eventually decamps to the cottage by the lake. The "Last Supper" scene recalls the meal at the cottage in DAE and so on. Even the score draws on the music used in DAE. Eventually Rémy chooses to die assisted by the recovering heroin addict daughter of one of his mistresses; the ultimate affirmation of life in death.
That's the gist of a very subtle and complex movie with multiple subplots and a good deal of humour. (I doubt any movie has ever had more blowjob jokes in it). It's a must see but if you haven't seen DAE, do yourself a favour, watch it first.
Decline of the American Empire has long been one of my favourite films and Denys Arcand one of my favourite film makers. Barbarian Invasions picks up the lives of many of the main characters from DAE 20 years later. The main theme of the film is the dying Rémy's attempt to come to terms with his life, his past, his children and his mistresses. Structurally, the film is a masterpiece. It starts out in a hilarious (if depressing) parody of an overstressed Montreal hospital (memo to self: never get sick in la belle province) before drawing us back by stages into the environment of Decline of the American Empire. Rémy's wealthy son bribes the hospital and the union into creating a private room that is oddly reminiscent of the urban settings in the earlier film. The gang reassembles and eventually decamps to the cottage by the lake. The "Last Supper" scene recalls the meal at the cottage in DAE and so on. Even the score draws on the music used in DAE. Eventually Rémy chooses to die assisted by the recovering heroin addict daughter of one of his mistresses; the ultimate affirmation of life in death.
That's the gist of a very subtle and complex movie with multiple subplots and a good deal of humour. (I doubt any movie has ever had more blowjob jokes in it). It's a must see but if you haven't seen DAE, do yourself a favour, watch it first.
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Date: 2004-08-13 07:29 am (UTC)