I don't always pick up a movie's deeper meaning upon first viewing. Usually for the first watch, I just want to enjoy the plot. That's how it was with Barbarian, a monster movie with more to say hiding below the surface.
Barbarian is a story about a woman interviewing for a job in Detroit, and the troubles that arise when she finds that her AirBnB is already occupied. I won't go into more plot details and I recommend you go into this movie knowing as little as possible.
It isn't possible, though, to avoid some spoilers in discussing the layers to Barbarian. So, spoilers ahead.
Beneath the horror movie lies a conversation about women and men. There are dangers in being a woman, which two of the primary characters briefly discuss. But there are also misperceptions that can lead to disaster. Who is good and who is bad, and how can one tell? Does a woman let bad men change her perception of the entire gender? Does she let it make her into a monster? Can a man change? What is a woman? What is a man? What should they be?
I went back and forth several times on whether the character Keith was going to be the movie's villain or not. Well done to the writers and director for that. Upon second watch of the film, I realized that many or maybe even all of the circumstances that put the audience and the character Tess on alert about Keith are situations outside of his control. He didn't mix-up the AirBnB reservations. He didn't open Tess's bedroom door as she slept. He didn't choose to get lost in the cavernous dungeon. But, he might have, and up until the very last second, the audience is left guessing about Keith. How difficult it is to judge someone's character.
Then, we switch to Justin Long's character AJ, a magnificent cut scene that left me surprised and delighted upon first viewing. Here's another man that we the audience might have a little trouble getting a solid handle on. The movie beautifully puts AJ in different situations in which we for a moment feel for him, or think that maybe he is innocent of his accused crimes, and then the movie yanks that thought away from us with AJ doing something bad. For example, we have AJ talking to his mom on the phone. How sweet, he's talking with his mom. He seems genuinely certain he didn't do anything wrong with that other actress. Then he hangs up on his mom without even saying goodbye. There goes that idea of him being a good son. Then, later in the movie, he's around the campfire with the unhoused man and Tess and he seems to be having a genuine moment of contrition and making the decision to grow and become better. Then, Mother busts into the scene and AJ runs off as quickly as possible, leaving Tess, whom he accidentally shot earlier, and the homeless man that gave them shelter in the dust.
The movie explores the ideas of character and how difficult it is to judge another's character, or even know our own character in an expertly crafted manner. The themes of gender, and trust, and abuse, are wonderfully couched in a genuinely scary and excellent horror movie.
Horror is thriving these days, with The Witch, Midsommar, It Follows, Hereditary, Us, Brandon Cronenberg's amazing film Possessor, and many more. Smart, well-crafted films that are both intense, frightening and thoughtful.
Barbarian is a story about a woman interviewing for a job in Detroit, and the troubles that arise when she finds that her AirBnB is already occupied. I won't go into more plot details and I recommend you go into this movie knowing as little as possible.
It isn't possible, though, to avoid some spoilers in discussing the layers to Barbarian. So, spoilers ahead.
Beneath the horror movie lies a conversation about women and men. There are dangers in being a woman, which two of the primary characters briefly discuss. But there are also misperceptions that can lead to disaster. Who is good and who is bad, and how can one tell? Does a woman let bad men change her perception of the entire gender? Does she let it make her into a monster? Can a man change? What is a woman? What is a man? What should they be?
I went back and forth several times on whether the character Keith was going to be the movie's villain or not. Well done to the writers and director for that. Upon second watch of the film, I realized that many or maybe even all of the circumstances that put the audience and the character Tess on alert about Keith are situations outside of his control. He didn't mix-up the AirBnB reservations. He didn't open Tess's bedroom door as she slept. He didn't choose to get lost in the cavernous dungeon. But, he might have, and up until the very last second, the audience is left guessing about Keith. How difficult it is to judge someone's character.
Then, we switch to Justin Long's character AJ, a magnificent cut scene that left me surprised and delighted upon first viewing. Here's another man that we the audience might have a little trouble getting a solid handle on. The movie beautifully puts AJ in different situations in which we for a moment feel for him, or think that maybe he is innocent of his accused crimes, and then the movie yanks that thought away from us with AJ doing something bad. For example, we have AJ talking to his mom on the phone. How sweet, he's talking with his mom. He seems genuinely certain he didn't do anything wrong with that other actress. Then he hangs up on his mom without even saying goodbye. There goes that idea of him being a good son. Then, later in the movie, he's around the campfire with the unhoused man and Tess and he seems to be having a genuine moment of contrition and making the decision to grow and become better. Then, Mother busts into the scene and AJ runs off as quickly as possible, leaving Tess, whom he accidentally shot earlier, and the homeless man that gave them shelter in the dust.
The movie explores the ideas of character and how difficult it is to judge another's character, or even know our own character in an expertly crafted manner. The themes of gender, and trust, and abuse, are wonderfully couched in a genuinely scary and excellent horror movie.
Horror is thriving these days, with The Witch, Midsommar, It Follows, Hereditary, Us, Brandon Cronenberg's amazing film Possessor, and many more. Smart, well-crafted films that are both intense, frightening and thoughtful.