Barbarian

Preamble Rant

I have an addictive personality. When I connect to something, a video game, a movie, a song, a character, sometimes I go all in. When I finished playing the Last of Us, a zombie role playing game, I basically spent the next month listening to the soundtrack on repeat, thinking incessantly about Joel and Ellie, sharing in their trauma, because I felt it. I don’t care to admit how many deep-lore/conspiracy wiki pages I read about the shows Lost, Breaking Bad, and Game of Thrones when they were airing. And, you’d better believe I had “As it Was” by Harry Styles on loop for dayzzz.

All this to say I get invested in random art sometimes. I mean did you see my Survivor Database?

I prefer when this happens with movies. They aren’t so long form like tv series where you can go down the rabbit hole for weeks talking crazy theories. It can be easier to get to the root of what attracts you to it; making it easier to find closure and climb out the rabbit hole. I also think its’ a good indicator that a movie is just really good. I mean if I am thinking about it and asking a lot questions after, then the movie did its job. At least, those are the types of movies that I enjoy.

Anyway… I watched this horror movie called Barbarian. And it ended up being one of those films. This blog is about why it could be worth checking out.

476 Barbary St.

I’m not a cinephile, so I feel a little unqualified writing this. I’m gonna give it my best shot. Im curious to hear from people who are.

*** Spoilers ahead ***

Barbarian sets its own pace

If you’ve watched the movie, the first thing that probably stands out to you is its temperamental structure. It is divided into 3 acts. Acts 1 and 2 follow 2 different characters; and then act 3 converges them. In a horror films I typically don’t expect the horror reach its climax in act 1; rather I expect to sit through 60 minutes of gentle thrills, and teasing, of the monster. A slow, linear, buildup of tension that comes toppling over in the final act.

But Barbarian says fuck that and, after 30 some minutes of red herring, the character you thought would be the most important piece of the equation is getting his face smashed into a concrete dungeon wall by a wrinkly old troll lady. Then boom, instantaneously, we cut to sunny Los Angeles, to watch a completely NEW character live out their part in this story. 45 minutes into the movie. Your adrenaline is firing at this point from experiencing this serious trauma; but you’re forced to set it aside for another 45 minutes, until act 2 reconnects with the plot from act 1. I was baffled, disoriented, confused, but completely on the edge of my seat.

Barbarian prioritizes characters over plot

The horror genre isn’t known for logical plots, or for having characters with critical decision making skills. It often asks you to suspend disbelief on multiple occasions. And often the bad films overask this of viewers, while also still trying to latch onto a facade of believability. This can be really annoying when the writers try to take the best from both worlds.

In the case of Barbarian, the plot, I’d argue, is less relevant. There are a ton of plot holes and terrible decisions. Also vaguely thought out timelines.. (how is The Mother a grown, third generation offspring and Frank still alive?) Little about this movie is believable. But the movie knows this. It owns it and leans into it. In fact, it uses it to its advantage by helping communicate to the audience what’s really important on the screen. Simply put, this movie is about 2 real people from our modern world — who handle an outlandish situation very, very differently. That may not sound all that appealing put simply, but well-written characters are the core to any good story.

Tess - hard working woman, trying to advance her career, and is accustomed to making sacrifice in the name of the injustice systems that continue to dominate our world. Also a terrible judge of danger AJ - An obnoxious Hollywood actor, sexual predator, certified D-bag, self-entitled, negligent, seeking redemption, who measures hidden sex dungeon square footage with a tape measure to increase real-estate value. They are nuanced characters that could easily be found out in the wild any day. And they are why the film can get away with its’ bipolar pace and leaky script; because you’re just interested them.

Barbarian is fun

This movie is a horror film, but I keep telling people it’s a comedy. Mostly because I want people to go see it. But also because it kinda is. It was directed by Zach Cregger, but I know him as “one of the guys from that old sketch comedy group, Whitest Kids U Know” Remember them? I can’t imagine a guy like that writing the script to be anything tooo too serious; or to be soely scary.

The closest movie I can compare it to is The Cabin in the Woods. Both movies begin in line with the traditional tropes of their genre, yet devolve into a similar thing; sweet, sweet, beautiful Chaos. And chaos is fun now! right?

I’m really curious to hear other comparisons that people might have.

End

It doesn’t fit into any box. It blends genres. I wouldn’t call it groundbreaking, but I would absolutely call it fun. And by golly, if that doesn’t make a movie worth seeing, I’m not sure what does. 8.25/10