Todos deveriam assistir a este filme ao menos uma vez

A movie that leaves a deep impression. Hard to categorize : it's a comedy about death, life and what you do with your time on this earth. Way up there

Remy (Remy Girard) finds himself alone in the world after being diagnosed with a terminal illness. With the assistance of his ex-wife, he is able to reconnect with his son in an effort to establish some sort of meaningful relationship in the days before he dies. While director Denys Arcand's film could be accused of having too many talking heads, it provides some fascinating ruminations on politics, faith, history, mortality and the meaning of life. As friends and family gather around him in his final days, the film is touching without being maudlin, an insightful examination of how we live our lives and what ultimately is of value in the face of death.

A considerable improvement on its original iteration from the better part of two decades prior, The Barbarian Invasion feels more weighty and sincere than The Death of the American Empire as it contemplates death and life together, dealing in tragedy, love, friendship, and dismay in equal measure. There is a genuine sense of unpredictability in the story, with Rousseau's Sébastien unexpectedly hatching a scheme to source heroin by asking police officers, and then an unusual detour into the commercial value of art salvaged from churches as a discussion on the collapse of Catholicism in Quebec. There is a clear utility of the unique aspects of the film's setting, as well, with pointed criticisms of domestic healthcare featuring prominently alongside the views deep in a lakefront paradise. While the film does a good job building up a barbed but sincere sense of love among friends and family, there is still a weight pulling it down - the presentation of our returning cast of characters as the enlightened literati, lamenting the downfall of intelligence in society with their chummy, synchronized quotes and self-reflection. Seeing the full experience come to a conclusion is actually made all the better by the prior film's sense of superficiality, but it's still hard to relate to this group of highly promiscuous, wine-swirling former radicals. Perhaps it's simply a generation gap, and I'll appreciate the subtleties more with age. (3.5/5)

Clearly, it is a moving and witty work but I think there is something missing, in order for it to be considered a masterpiece.

Very good movie. Emotional and smart at the same time. Memorable characters all around. Some of the dialogue was a bit too random/misplaced though.

Armed with a cynical sense of humor and post-9/11 perspective on life, "The Barbarian Invasions" will leave you feeling richer for the experience.

"Among the greatest films of all time" Me

The Barbarian Invasions is an interesting and low-key family drama. The film is about contrasts and has quite a mix of characters. It succeeds in balancing the cynical with the sentimental. Other reviewers have complained about the character of the father. But to my mind, the father character must be not completely likable, otherwise the dynamic in the film will not work. In various spots the lighting and focus stand out as well-done and, all-in-all, The Barbarian Invasions is a very competent film.

It might be a significant piece with a few agenda being attached back then. But this was not an interesting one to watch at all.

Profoundly touching ! One of the greatest movie Québec ever made.

Près de douze ans après le visionnement, je me dois de me raviser. Les invasions barbares est un chef-d'oeuvre au même titre que le Déclin... Une fois qu'on passe par-dessus le jeu ordinaire de Stéphane Rousseau, on se laisse porter par cette ode à la vie. Remarquable.

Better then Big Fish and a must watch for anyone not intimidated by foreign language films

This movie is like a sequel to Return Of The Secaucus Seven or The Big Chill. It is a reunion of old friends, an estranged son, ex-wife and mistresses of a fifty year old French Canadian professor who is terminally ill in a chaotic Montreal hospital. Very engaging bitter-sweet tale with humorous banter, some surprises, some great truths, catharsis and perhaps hope. There were many wet hankies in the theater but it was an older crowd who have experienced the death of parents and perhaps friends and are feeling their own mortality.

Not sure what to really make of this movie as it isn't really as story-focused as it could've been given the concept. Each character has its own individual story, and at the very least each character gets a little color, but there's no real 'narrative' other than this group of intellectual and socially conscious friends, whose 1960s mentality has carried over to this decade, to come together one last time as one of their own has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Over the course of the course of these days, however long it is who knows as the movie doesn't explicitly state how long it is, these friends have conversations about politics, sexuality, art, literature, etc. It's everything a group of current republicans would hate, intellectual conversation. And I think it works, mostly because this group of friends does very much feel like a real group of friends. Perhaps that is the familiarity the cast must have had with each other as this is sort of a sequel to a film made 17 years prior to this one. So that air of familiarity is certainly there, like you're just seeing old friends shooting the shit again. In that regard, I thought the film was excellent. But, and this is my own personal opinion, this film wasn't good enough to be an Oscar-winner. It's certainly very good, the acting is excellent and the writing is incredibly smart. But there's just nothing here that screams Best Foreign Movie Oscar. Personally I thought the relationship between Remy and Sebastien could've been much better developed than it was. They spend a lot of time either arguing or not even talking to each other. It's clear that Sebastien was affected by Remy's philandering ways and how that affected their relationship. It's almost as if Sebastien wanted to be the exact opposite of Remy, and in a lot of ways he is, but where it's most important he's almost exactly like Remy. They do spend time on that, but not as much as to make it truly effective. They never really truly solve their problems but, at the end, that doesn't really matter. Remy is still Sebastien's father and there will always be love there regardless of whatever issues they may have. That part was certainly good, handled subtly as well, which makes it even better in my view. Personally, I found it more touching once Remy's friends start to say their goodbyes. It's very heartfelt and genuine but, again, and this is the most important part, it's all done very subtly. It doesn't exploit cancer in order to manipulate your emotions. It's a character study on how Remy's prognosis brings these group of friends, and even Remy's somewhat estranged family, back together in spite of everything they may have gone through. That's my favorite part of the film, easily. Though I still don't think this film is really Oscar-worthy, I very much enjoyed its approach to its characters and dialogue. The narrative itself isn't great, but it is interesting enough to hold your attention throughout. Very good stuff here, but it's definitely gonna be an acquired taste for some. Not a movie that's gonna appeal to everyone.

Vecchi che se la menano perché sono i più intelligenti di tutti e che poi un secondo dopo se la ridono perché il meglio della loro vita si sublima in qualche scopata e/o mangiata. Potere alla terza età!

In the very oddest sense, through humour and honesty, it is a perfect social commentary from first scene to last.

the ups and downs of life. in sepia.

it is a best movie that I saw ever!

La continua historia-y ultimos dias-de Monsieur Desmariais:intelctual,anticapítalista,socialista,amante,amigo y padre.La secuencia de la cena de despedida es emotiva