Waiting for the Barbarians

2020 1h 52m EN

😐

5.9

MID

★5.9TMDB · 409

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

At an isolated frontier outpost, a colonial magistrate suffers a crisis of conscience when an army colonel arrives looking to interrogate the locals about an impending uprising, using cruel tactics that horrify the magistrate.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Mark Rylance
The Magistrate
Johnny Depp
Colonel Joll
Robert Pattinson
Officer Mandel
Gana Bayarsaikhan
The Girl
Greta Scacchi
Mai
David Dencik
The Clerk
Sam Reid
The Lieutenant
Harry Melling
Garrison Soldier #4

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ciro Guerra
Writers: Ciro Guerra
Languages: English, Mongolian
Countries: Italy, United States of America

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

ERA

Did you know

Released 6 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Mongolian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Italy, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ciro Guerra, shot by Chris Menges. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Mark Rylance and Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt6149154 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ciro Guerra directs. Chris Menges behind the camera. Giampiero Ambrosi scores. Jacopo Quadri cuts. Produced in Italy, United States of America. Dialogue in English, Mongolian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 6 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Mongolian.
3International production across 2 countries: Italy, United States of America.
4Directed by Ciro Guerra, shot by Chris Menges. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Giampiero Ambrosi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Jacopo Quadri shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Mark Rylance and Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt6149154 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Chris Menges
Original score: Giampiero Ambrosi
Editing: Jacopo Quadri
Production design: Crispian Sallis
Costume design: Carlo Poggioli
Makeup / hair: Marta Roggero
Runtime: 112 min · 1h 52m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $761,361
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Waiting for the Barbarians (2020)

Also by

Ciro Guerra

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots2020-08-31
★ 6/10
Adapted by Nobel Prize winning author J.M. Coetzee from his own book, “Waiting for the Barbarians” is a timely screen retelling of the darkest (and most the most cruel) aspects of colonialism. This period film sadly reflects issues many are dealing with in present day: a society that’s relentless in its quest to oppress “the other.” An isolated frontier settlement on the border of an unnamed empire sets the stage for the epic story of a Magistrate (Mark Rylance), a kind soul who lives a routine existence respecting the rule of law, and the disquieting arrival of Colonel Joll (Johnny Depp), a menacing man that quickly turns things upside down. Joll and his minions (including Robert Pattinson as Officer Mandel) have been tasked with reporting the activities of the ‘barbarians’ — and their methods are ruthless. The Colonel terrorizes people during violent interrogations, causing the Magistrate to question his own loyalty to the empire. Eventually, he embraces kindness and attempts to rescue a young woman (Gana Bayarsaikhan) who has been abused by Joll and return her to her family. The script is laid out appropriately, with clear introductions of the characters and an easy-to-follow story. The film is told in chapters and seasons (“The Return,” set in the Spring, is the most visually stunning). It’s filled with pretty shots (from director Ciro Guerra) and gorgeous cinematography (by Chris Menges), and the period set design and costumes are as detailed as they are handsome. It’s not difficult at all to overlook the (sometimes) slow pacing because the film is so well directed. Every performance here is stellar as well, with a standout turn from Rylance. He makes it easy for viewers to sympathize with his character’s lone beacon of compassion in a violent world. He brings the idea about the way empires feel they must invent enemies to remain relevant to the most basic human level, and that’s what ultimately becomes so effective about “Waiting for the Barbarians.”
tmdb280390232022-08-25
★ 6/10
In Waiting for the Barbarians' Colonel Joll, Johnny Depp has crafted a great movie villain. I would describe him as either a colonial Darth Vader or a proto-Nazi – and concerning the latter, the character is a textbook illustration of Hannah Arendt's 'banality of evil;' perfectly circumspect, not a single hair out of place, not a single wasted motion. Depp plays the Colonel inwardly; his eyes invariably covered by round dark glasses, his face an inscrutable waxen death mask, his demeanor cold and calculating – of Captain Jack Sparrow's drunken buffoonery and shameful overacting not the slightest trace remains. Joll is, for better or for worse, the black heart and rotten soul of this film. It is said that a hero is only as good as his villain, and that's where the movie falls short. Mark Rylance's Magistrate is hopelessly meek, which makes sense seeing as how he will turn out to be a Christ-like figure; the problem is that, while he may or may not be able to carry a cross, he simply isn't fit, try as Rylance might, to carry a feature-length film. Now, Depp can't be in every scene – and he shouldn't, either; I strongly believe that to make a villain truly effective, the 'less is more' approach is the way to go. Director Ciro Guerra and screenwriter J.M. Coetzee (on whose novel the movie is based), however, put the cart in front of the horse; they introduce the film's most interesting character right off the bat, they place him front and center for a good half hour, and then they bench him for the central portion of the story. This won't do; you don't have Jaws jumping out of the water like Shamu in Sea World in the first scene. With Joll gone, the movie flatlines. Rylance's performance is by no means bad, but the only thing that hurts the Magistrate more than the comparison with Joll is the latter's absence, which turns the film's previously gained momentum into pure inertia. It's only when Depp returns, about an hour later, that the movie is shocked (as are we; ironically, the Colonel is the only barbarian here) back to life. In his final appearance, Joll's carefully constructed impassiveness comes crumbling down; not superficially, mind you, but it takes Depp a single solitary look to tell an entire, unseen story; one that is, perhaps, much more engaging than the one we have actually watched.
CinemaSerf2023-02-26
★ 6/10
Despite a strong cast, this is really rather a dirge of a watch. Sir Mark Rylance is the colonial magistrate in a frontier province that inspecting "Col. Joll" (Johnny Depp) believes is about to bear the brunt of an attack from the eponymous enemy. Despite there only appearing to be sheep farmers adjacent to their fortified town, he proceeds to indulge in a little torture before heading off to investigate some more. Meantime, the decently-minded official sets off on a tour of his own which, upon his return, finds him also at the mercy of the rather brutal colonel and his henchman "Mandel" (an underwhelming, as usual, Robert Pattinson). The first half hour or so make for a watchable enough drama, but thereafter it really does run out of steam. Sir Mark's character is noble, but insipid and weak and Depp looks as if he has spent the last few days sucking on Botox sweets. Not that I needed anyone to be Errol Flynn, but the whole film adopts that same slow and ponderous pace that though quite horrifying in it's message - and doubtless a plausible indictment of just how occupying powers made sure they stayed dominant - it all just trudges along until a denouement that rather summed the whole thing up. What, exactly, was the point? The photography shows off the scenery to good effect but otherwise this is a film that promised much but delivered very little.