Venue | Star Cinema Sidney |
---|---|
Director | Julie Delpy |
Length | 101 mins |
Rating | Not Rated (19+ Screening) |
$14.29 Plus Service Fee
Director: Julie Delpy
France /2024 / 101 min / Drama
The people of Paimpont, Brittany, are almost too excited to welcome a group of Ukrainian refugees into their small town. The local council preps for their arrival, with everyone eager to show their enthusiasm, but there’s just one small problem: It seems that displaced Ukrainians are very high in demand, and they’ll have to settle for a Syrian family instead. So begins Julie Delpy’s clever satire, taking a comic look at what happens when our self-image as upstanding global citizens comes face to face with the messy reality of creating a home for people who don’t have one to return to.
The Fayad family tries their best to fit in among the many small-town squabbles bubbling around them, but not before they’re forced to demonstrate proof of their trauma yet again to a sea of doubting faces. With thoughtful direction and a witty script, Delpy and her co-writers take a story that starts like a parody and suffuses it with incredible pathos, as filmgoers slowly become acquainted with the Fayads’ daring dream of a beautiful future they could build in this new town.
For many, the Syrian War is no longer the conflict du jour, but Meet the Barbarians reminds us that every passing year produces only more disenfranchised people. It’s now more important to roll up our sleeves, put aside petty problems, and begin the difficult work of care. – AK