TIFF Review: Challenging Perceptions and Reflecting Reality in ‘Meet the Barbarians’

It’s incredibly interesting – and also unfortunate – that there are some causes which serve as universal and unifying and others that go almost entirely ignored. Worse still, some conflicts may be perceived to be less moral or worthy of support, inviting judgment from an uneducated populace on what’s really happening far from their safe and comfortable perch. Meet the Barbarians offers a light and entertaining look at the prejudices people don’t like to admit they have in a heartfelt story of a French town ready to help people in need, provided they’re the right kind of people.

Sébastien (Jean-Charles Clichet) is the mayor of a small French town called Paimpont that has voted to host a refugee family from Ukraine in the wake of its war with Russia. He eagerly films a video celebrating the town’s hospitable nature, only to discover that, due to an outpouring of available hosts elsewhere, there are no Ukrainian families left. Instead, a Syrian family arrives, prompting hostility from one nationalist-minded local, Hervé (Laurent Lafitte), and ignorant questions from many of the other residents. Julie (Julie Delpy) is resolved to help the new family find their footing and remain in her town, taking it upon herself to put out multiple fires to ensure a positive and sustaining experience for them. 

This film is directed by Delpy, best known for romance, both in front of the camera in Before Sunrise and its sequels and behind the camera as director of 2 Days in Paris and 2 Days in New York. It’s definitely a comedy, finding humor in a situation where a family is fleeing death and destruction for a new life in a place they don’t know while setting up existing dynamics in this town that are exacerbated by the arrival of outsiders. The language barrier proves not to be too difficult and isn’t used as fodder for laughs, a welcome decision that showcases the reality this family’s French (and English) isn’t perfect, but communication mishaps happen much more because of culture and people choosing to say the wrong thing rather than doing so because they don’t know the proper translation.

There’s an unusual sense of this film existing in the current moment, dealing with real conflicts that continue across the world. That the Syrians are regarded as far more dangerous or suspicious than the Ukrainians is unfortunately not an invention, and the fact that there are far too many offers to host Ukrainians, leaving those displaced by less-discussed wars as backup options, speaks to the way in which people consume news and attach themselves to one cause because it’s in vogue. The lighthearted wrapper this film offers makes it easier to see the absurdity of that way of thinking and how it benefits no one.

In addition to its comedic depiction of these French residents, this film offers a strong showcase for the portrayal of the Syrian family, led by Ziad Bakri as Marwan, who states that he doesn’t want to do any work unless it allows him to use his trained architecture skills. His wife Louna (Dalia Naous) is less prideful and more amenable to smarting small, appreciating the value of making money and being perceived as contributing to society. Marwan’s father Hassan (Farès Helou) takes it upon himself to improve the cooking of a local woman whose crêpes disgust the family upon their arrival, and the rest of the family, including his grandchildren and his daughter, make their own complicated adjustments to this new life.

Comedy really does prove to be the best way to communicate a clash of cultures that’s built more on expectations and judgments than it is on actual differences. Thanks to its unserious approach, this film is able to navigate more serious themes and extract meaning from outreach and collaboration. It reaches unexpected dramatic heights while still keeping things light and funny, a testament to Delpy’s skill and experience blending different genres. Though its plot is specific to this moment in time, this film’s commentary on welcoming in the stranger should prove to be very lasting.

Movie Rating: 8/10

Awards Buzz: Delpy is a two-time Oscar nominee for her work on the screenplays for Before Sunset and Before Midnight. This film won’t be an Oscar player but could do well in France, where it reflects the culture more specifically and is slated for release later this month.