Jimmy Bernasconi

Flog me dolphin and call me hairy - this movie’s wise and more than scary! I don’t really like reviewing movies out of 5 or 10 or whatever, but I wanted to put to words how I think this movie could be great, if viewed a certain way. I also did an episode of my podcast (Sacred Cinema) on this film entitled ‘The Home-Ground Advantage’ for anyone who can be bothered to look that up. Basically, this film is pretty much set in one house, which is a perfect metaphor for the state of the protagonist’s psyche. Every character could represent a specific imposing thought or insecurity that the protagonist is dealing with. There are layers of endless caverns, nooks and crannies throughout the house, in which the characters stay hidden before suddenly leaping out. In a simplistic sense it could be about hidden demons, and how spontaneously they can appear despite years, even decades, of invisibility and silence. But as much as it is applicable to the individual, this film is a great allegory for state control. Who REALLY holds the power over territory? How can we ever know? To what extent is a legal right a natural right? is anyone pulling strings below the surface that we can’t see or choose to ignore? ‘Barbarian’ is as much a story about the enemies at the gates as it is about the enemies under our noses. It uses familiar motifs that we’ve seen in films like ‘Parasite’ and ‘Us’, but in a less vindictive or targeted way I suppose. Maybe my take isn’t for everyone. But I’m sure I’m not alone in voicing my frustration with how easily we condemn one another without looking at the full picture. Perhaps a film like this can alert us to the unobservable enemies. The warriors who do not yell and scream, but move swiftly and trap their victims in the heart of the night.