Underplayed Gems

The Barbarian Invasions (2003)

The Barbarian Invasions poster
Original title
Les invasions barbares
Directed by
Denys Arcand
Genre
drama film, comedy film
Country
France, Canada
Runtime
1h 39m
Rated
12+
Rating
7.1 of 10 from 408 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

A womanizing history professor faces his terminal cancer diagnosis. His estranged son returns to help manage his final days, rekindling their strained relationship amid old friends and regrets.

wrymelancholicbittersweetquietly humorousintimatereflectivetenderearthy

What happens

The Barbarian Invasions (French: Les Invasions barbares) is a 2003 sex comedy-drama film written and directed by Denys Arcand and starring Rémy Girard, Stéphane Rousseau and Marie-Josée Croze. The film is a sequel to Arcand's 1986 film The Decline of the American Empire, continuing the story of the character Rémy, a womanizing history professor now terminally ill with cancer. The sequel was a result of Arcand's longtime desire to make a film about a character close to death, also incorporating a response to the September 11 attacks of 2001. It was produced by companies from both Canada and France, and shot mainly in Montreal, also employing a former hospital and property near Lake Memphremagog. The film received a positive response from critics and became one of Arcand's biggest financial successes. It was the first Canadian film to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, at the 76th Academy Awards in 2004. It won awards at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, six Genie Awards, including Best Motion Picture, and three César Awards, including Best Film. The Barbarian Invasions was followed by the thematically related Days of Darkness in 2007 and The Fall of the American Empire in 2018. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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