The Barbarian Invasions

"A comedy about sex, friendship, and all other things that invade our lives."

2003 1h 39m FR

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 426

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In this belated sequel to 'The Decline of the American Empire', middle-aged Montreal college professor, Remy, learns that he is dying of liver cancer. His ex-wife, Louise, asks their estranged son, Sebastian, a successful businessman living in London, to come home. Sebastian makes the impossible happen, using his contacts and disrupting the Canadian healthcare system in every way possible to help his father fight his terminal illness to the bitter end, while reuniting some of Remy's old friends, including Pierre, Alain, Dominique, Diane, and Claude, who return to see their friend before he passes on.

“A comedy about sex, friendship, and all other things that invade our lives.”

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Cast

Rémy Girard
Rémy
Stéphane Rousseau
Sébastien
Marie-Josée Croze
Nathalie
Dorothée Berryman
Louise
Louise Portal
Diane Leonard
Dominique Michel
Dominique St. Arnaud
Pierre Curzi
Pierre Citrouillard
Yves Jacques
Claude

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Denys Arcand
Writers: Denys Arcand
Languages: French, English
Countries: Canada, France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.4× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 23 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Canada, France.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Decline of the American Empire Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Denys Arcand, shot by Guy Dufaux. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Pierre Aviat. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Isabelle Dedieu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Denys Arcand directs. Guy Dufaux behind the camera. Pierre Aviat scores. Isabelle Dedieu cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in Canada, France. Dialogue in French, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 4.4× over at the box office.
2Released 23 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.
4International production across 2 countries: Canada, France.
5Part of the "The Decline of the American Empire Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6Directed by Denys Arcand, shot by Guy Dufaux. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Pierre Aviat. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Isabelle Dedieu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Rémy Girard and Stéphane Rousseau and Marie-Josée Croze carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "A comedy about sex, friendship, and all other things that invade our lives.".
11IMDB entry: tt0338135 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 12 themes, including "dying and death", "parent child relationship", "yuppie", "professor".