A small town in France preparing to welcome a Ukrainian refugee family is surprised when a Syrian family shows up instead, in Julie Delpy’s touching comedy of integration.
From her art house origins acting in films by Jean-Luc Godard and Krzysztof Kieślowski to Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy to her own films as a director, one quality defines the work of Julie Delpy: truth. Whether delivered in light comedy or devastating drama, Delpy’s work serves up the uncomfortable and the undeniable in a single coup de grâce. In Meet the Barbarians, it’s a frequently hilarious pleasure to watch her cast that truthful gaze on small town France.
Paimpont sits nestled in Brittany, content with its centuries-old heritage, its crêpes, and its flattering self-image. The town council is delighted they’ll soon be welcoming refugees from Ukraine. But it turns out that too many in France have already taken in Ukrainian refugees, so the van that pulls into Paimpont one day delivers a refugee family from Syria instead. Awkward.
As the extended Fayad family finds its footing in a village very much set in its ways, both townspeople and newcomers must rethink their preconceptions. Will the local businessman (Laurent Lafitte) hold onto his xenophobic views? Can the Fayads bridge the gulf between their lives in wartorn Syria and their current disappointments in Paimpont? Will the town’s crusading progressive (Delpy) herself descend into petty barbarism?
Meet the Barbarians strikes just the right balance of humour, ideas, and heart. Powered by sharp writing and deft performances — Rita Hayek and Sandrine Kiberlain are standouts— this is a classic comedy of integration.
Content advisory: sexual content
Screenings
Scotiabank 3
Roy Thomson Hall
Scotiabank 13
Scotiabank 9