A comedic lens on Western hypocrisies: ’Meet the Barbarians’
In the culture-clash comedy Meet the Barbarians, actor-director Julie Delpy exposes a myriad of Western hypocrisies. The film centers on the residents of the struggling French commune of Paimpont, who vote to welcome Ukrainian refugees but are taken aback when a Syrian family arrives instead. The town’s response ranges from awkward to outright hostile, captured through a documentary-like lens that scrutinizes both the town’s fabric and their Arab guests. While the film doesn’t always hit its dramatic targets, it remains eye-wateringly funny.
A chaotic start with a familiar energy
The film kicks off with an energy reminiscent of The Office, as the bumbling mayor Sébastien Lejeune (Jean-Charles Clichet) enthusiastically shares his plans to welcome a Ukrainian family with a TV news crew. The city council votes overwhelmingly in favor, even swaying the usually resistant town plumber, Hervé Riou (Laurent Lafitte). Local interviews reveal a general consensus on the issue of Russia’s invasion and the welcoming of Ukrainians, despite underlying fears and economic concerns. However, these doubts resurface when the town learns of the administrative mix-up.
Visual storytelling and character dynamics
The segments of Meet the Barbarians shot by TV cameras are distinguished by news chyrons and a smaller frame. Even the non-mockumentary parts of the film maintain a similar visual style, reminiscent of Michael Winterbottom’s The Trip series, where characters are still performing to some extent, even when not being interviewed. Mayor Lejeune is deeply concerned with the optics of accepting refugees, aiming to create the most welcoming atmosphere to maintain political favor. Upon discovering that Ukrainians are being welcomed across Europe, he feels disappointed that Paimpont won’t receive its own share of this “valuable commodity.” Delpy’s character, the progressive schoolteacher Joëlle, helps organize the refugees’ arrival but also stumbles in her displays of outward acceptance.
The Syrian family and their integration
The Syrian family, the Fayads, are portrayed in a straightforward manner, which is part of Delpy’s point. Architect father Marwan (Ziad Bakri), his graphic designer wife Louna (Dalia Naous), her grumpy father Hassan (Farès Helou), their school-aged kids Dina (Ninar) and Waël (Adam), and their doctor aunt Alma (Rita Hayek) are too exhausted from their time in refugee camps to worry about the town’s opinions. They strive to integrate into the community, taking up odd jobs since their degrees are not recognized in France or were destroyed along with their home in Damascus.
Political and social commentary
While the film offers glimpses into the Fayads’ inner lives and desires, Meet the Barbarians primarily uses them as a political entity to make a broader argument. This argument is both strong and introspective, revealing two primary factions in Western discourse on refugees. On one side are Joëlle and her constantly-inebriated best friend Anne (Sandrine Kiberlain), whose well-meaning liberal politics are tinged with orientalism. On the other side are Hervé and Anne’s convenience store owner husband Philippe (Mathieu Demy), whose approach to Muslims and Arabs is more suspicious and hostile.
Two sides of the same coin
Delpy’s greatest strength lies in presenting these apparent opposites as two sides of the same coin, both stemming from the same wellspring of prejudice and misunderstanding, albeit manifesting differently. While more serious films like Ken Loach’s The Old Oak and Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border have touched on the harrowing aspects of the refugee experience, Meet the Barbarians uses comedy to delve into the granular details.
A bright yet insightful narrative
Despite the hardships faced by the Fayads, including the need to prove their traumas, their story is no longer one of life and death. This allows the film to focus on the minutiae and bureaucratic red tape of their experience, and the minor tensions that arise when unfamiliarity is thrust into a small-town spotlight. It’s a bright, sunny, and entertaining story, despite its darker undertones. Delpy never loses sight of the bigger picture, constantly reminding viewers that the world remains harsh for Muslim refugees, even within this humorous narrative.
For more information and to watch the trailer, visit Meet the Barbarians.