On Tuesday I finally saw the Barbarian Invasions. Lars, Master Berking and yours truly entered the audimax in Darmstadt equipped with a six pack of Pfungstädter and good moods. We left with empty bottles and even better moods. It was an excellent movie – the best I saw this year together with Lost In Translation. Although several reliable sources told me that this movie would be worth seeing, I have not exactly felt like watching a movie about a dying university professor who gets visited by a bunch of relatives and friends at the right place and in the right time so far. I do not regret that it took me a while to watch it, because the setting was fun, and the movie was in French with German subs, which made it possible to appreciate some of the very crafty, intellegent and funny dialogues. The translation was fine, but it still was a welcome enhancement to listen to the actors talking a charming mix of Canadian french and English. The conflicts between father and son, between junkie and broker, wife and ex-affairs were developed in a plausible, dramatic and definitely entertainingly un-boring way. In a very elegant way, this movie combined pain and joy, without resorting to clichée or special effects. If you haven’t seen it yet, take steps to rid yourself of being in such an unfortunate situation.
IMDb entry | Trailer