The Barbarian Invasions

Infobox Film
name = The Barbarian Invasions


image_size =
caption = Original movie poster
director = Denys Arcand
producer = Daniel Louis
Denys Robert
writer = Denys Arcand
narrator =
starring = Rémy Girard
Stéphane Rousseau
Dorothée Berryman
Louise Portal
music =
cinematography =
editing =
distributor = Miramax Films
released = November 21, 2003 (United Stated, limited)
February 20, 2004 (United Kingdom)
April 1, 2004 (Australia)
runtime = 112 minutes
country = Canada / France
language = French
budget = US$5 000 000
gross =
preceded_by = "The Decline of the American Empire"
followed_by = "Days of Darkness"
website =
amg_id = 1:285687
imdb_id = 0338135

"The Barbarian Invasions" ( _fr. Les Invasions barbares) is a French Canadian comedy/drama film directed by Denys Arcand. It is the sequel to Arcand's earlier film "The Decline of the American Empire" and is followed by "Days of Darkness". The film was produced by companies from both Canada and France, including Téléfilm Canada, Société Radio-Canada and Canal+. It was released in 2003 and won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 76th Academy Awards in 2004.

Plot

Continuing seventeen years after Arcand's 1986 film "The Decline of the American Empire", the movie is once again much more about exploring character than plot. What plot there is revolves around the character Rémy's battle with terminal cancer, and his estranged son's efforts, after reluctantly returning from London at the request of Remy's ex-wife Louise, to make his dying father more comfortable in his last days. He proves willing to go to any lengths to achieve this, navigating Quebec's healthcare system, and in the process he gathers the various other friends and family members from Remy's past who come to visit and comfort him. During Remy's last days, he and his friends travel to the cottage of the first film, and discuss philosophy, politics, and past sexual and intellectual exploits.

Awards

The film won France's 2004 César Award for Best Picture and Best Director, plus Best Original Screenplay for Denys Arcand. It also won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 76th Academy Awards, the first Canadian film to actually win the award, in 2004 (Arcand had been previously nominated for 'Invasions' predecessor The Decline of the American Empire and Jesus of Montreal. As of 2006 this Oscar is on public display at the Museum of Civilization in Quebec City as part of an exhibit about the cinema of Quebec.

At the Cannes Film Festival in 2003, it won two awards: Best Screenplay Award and Best Actress Award for Marie-Josée Croze.

The film also won 5 Jutra Awards and 6 Genie Awards, as well as prizes at other international festivals (Bangkok International Film Festival, Cinema Brazil Grand Prize, Toronto International Film Festival, Czech Lions).

Cast

* Rémy Girard as Rémy
* Dominique Michel as Dominique
* Dorothée Berryman as Louise
* Louise Portal as Diane
* Pierre Curzi as Pierre
* Yves Jacques as Claude
* Stéphane Rousseau as Sébastien
* Marie-Josée Croze as Nathalie
* Mitsou Gélinas as Ghislaine
* Micheline Lanctôt as Nurse Carole
* Johanne-Marie Tremblay as Sister Constance
* Roy Dupuis as Narcotics Officer Gilles Levac
* Marina Hands as Gaëlle

External links

*imdb title|id=0338135|title=Les Invasions barbares
*amg movie|id=1:285687|title=Les Invasions barbares
*rotten-tomatoes|id=barbarian_invasions|title=Les Invasions barbares
*metacritic film|id=barbarianinvasions|title=Les Invasions barbares
*mojo title|id=barbarianinvasions|title=Les Invasions barbares

succession box
title=Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
years=2003
before="Nowhere in Africa"
flagcountry|Germany
after="The Sea Inside"
flagcountry|Spain succession box
title=César Award for Best Film
years=2004
before="The Pianist"
after="Games of Love and Chance"