The Barbarian Invasions

The Barbarian Invasions

A comedy about sex, friendship, and all other things that invade our lives.

2003 · 99 min · ★ 7.1 · Comedy, Drama

In this belated sequel to 'The Decline of the American Empire', middle-aged Montreal college professor, Remy, learns that he is dying of liver cancer. His ex-wife, Louise, asks their estranged son, Sebastian, a successful businessman living in London, to come home. Sebastian makes the impossible happen, using his contacts and disrupting the Canadian healthcare system in every way possible to help his father fight his terminal illness to the bitter end, while reuniting some of Remy's old friends, including Pierre, Alain, Dominique, Diane, and Claude, who return to see their friend before he passes on.

Directed by Denys Arcand · Written by Denys Arcand

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Rent or Buy

Apple TV StoreGoogle Play MoviesYouTube

Cast

The Decline of the American Empire CollectionSee all →

The Decline of the American EmpireThe Decline of the American Empire · 1986
The Decline of the American Empire
6.71986
MovieComedyDrama
Four very different Montreal university teachers gather at a rambling country house to prepare a dinner. Remy (married), Claude (a homosexual), Pierre (involved with a girlfriend) and Alain (a bachelor) discuss sex, the female body and their affairs with them. Meanwhile, their four female guests, Louise (Remy's wife of 15 years), Dominique (a spinster), Diane (a divorcée) and Danielle (Pierre's girlfriend) are spending the time at a downtown health gym. They also discuss sex, the female body and, naturally, men. Later in the evening, they finally meet at the country house and have dinner. A ninth guest, named Mario, who used to know Diane, drops in on the group for some talk and has a surprise of his own.
Days of DarknessDays of Darkness · 2007
Days of Darkness
6.42007
MovieComedyDrama
Jean-Marc is a man without qualities living in times that are out of joint. His wife and children ignore him; he's a mid-level government functionary in Montreal doing his job without care. He has an active imagination of sexual conquest, but his only real feelings come when he visits his aged mother, whose health is failing. When his wife leaves abruptly to work in Toronto, Jean-Marc sets out to reorder things with his daughters, his social life, and at work. In a world that at best is a farce, does he stand a chance?

More from Denys ArcandSee all →

Ma soeur, mon amourMa soeur, mon amour · 1992
Ma soeur, mon amour
9.01992
Movie
In 1929, Mr. Messier, owner of a small print shop in a village in Quebec became a widower, he lives with his two children, Rachel, 9 years old, and Gaëtan, 7 years old. In this closed universe and in the absence of their mother, a great complicity is established between the children.
Les bobosLes bobos · 2012
Les bobos
9.02012
SeriesComedy
Two bourgeois-bohemians struggle to stay on the cutting edge of trends and fashion while never sacrificing a single ounce of comfort, style or social conscience.
DuplessisDuplessis · 1978
Duplessis
9.01978
SeriesWar & PoliticsDrama
Duplessis was a historical television series in Quebec, Canada, that aired in 1978. It tells the story of Maurice Duplessis, the controversial premier of Quebec from 1936 to 1939 and 1944 to 1959. It is one of the most famous mini-series in Quebec television history. The series was written by Oscar-winning film director Denys Arcand, and based in large part on Conrad Black's popular biography. The series contains 7 episodes, each one containing a different historic moment in Duplessis's life and path into power. Duplessis is portrayed by Jean Lapointe. It is distributed by Radio-Canada and is available on DVD.
Le prix du paradisLe prix du paradis · 2017
Le prix du paradis
8.02017
MovieDocumentary
Ville-MarieVille-Marie · 1965
Ville-Marie
8.01965
MovieDocumentary
Today it is the city of Montreal, but 3 centuries ago the tiny band of missionary founders called it Ville-Marie, the holy city of Mary. This film goes back to its beginning and those who felt called to plant an oasis of Christianity in the North American wilderness. In an imaginative, at times almost surrealistic, way the film recalls the highborn company from France, and shows what survives of Ville-Marie in the Montreal of today.
LéoloLéolo · 1992
Léolo
7.21992
MovieComedyDrama
The story of an imaginative boy who pretends he is the child of a sperm-laden Sicilian tomato upon which his mother accidentally fell.
Les pêcheursLes pêcheurs · 2013
Les pêcheurs
7.22013
SeriesComedy
Comfort and IndifferenceComfort and Indifference · 1982
Comfort and Indifference
7.11982
MovieDocumentary
Made shortly after the referendum on Quebec's independence was held, this documentary illustrates what the politicians' promises were and how the population did not really care nor truly understand what was really at stake, even though just about everyone had an opinion on the subject.
Poverty and Other DelightsPoverty and Other Delights · 1996
Poverty and Other Delights
7.01996
MovieDrama
Marcel and Joseph are tireless walkers. Their itinerary is an invitation to discover improbable places and fascinating people. Everlastingly looking for Stanley, Marcel’s only friend, they meet an unlikely crowd of extravagant characters. Each has a story to tell, his hope to share.
La plus belle provinceLa plus belle province · 2022
La plus belle province
7.02022
SeriesDocumentary
Barney's VersionBarney's Version · 2010
Barney's Version
7.02010
MovieComedyDrama
The picaresque and touching story of the politically incorrect, fully lived life of the impulsive, irascible and fearlessly blunt Barney Panofsky.
Jesus of MontrealJesus of Montreal · 1989
Jesus of Montreal
6.91989
MovieDramaComedy
A group of actors putting on an interpretive Passion Play in Montreal begin to experience a meshing of their characters and their private lives as the production takes form against the growing opposition of the Catholic church.
Night ZooNight Zoo · 1987
Night Zoo
6.81987
MovieThrillerCrime
Marcel, recently released from prison, attempt to rebuild his relationship with his girlfriend Julie (now a prostitute) and especially his father Albert (who thinks he's been away on a long trip abroad), while being pursued by two corrupt cops (one of whom bears a longstanding grudge against him) for drug money he's alleged to possess.
TestamentTestament · 2023
Testament
6.82023
MovieDramaComedy
A retired archivist is annoyed and confused by a group of protestors who are angered by a mural inside the retirement home where he resides that glorifies colonialism.
The Decline of the American EmpireThe Decline of the American Empire · 1986
The Decline of the American Empire
6.71986
MovieComedyDrama
Four very different Montreal university teachers gather at a rambling country house to prepare a dinner. Remy (married), Claude (a homosexual), Pierre (involved with a girlfriend) and Alain (a bachelor) discuss sex, the female body and their affairs with them. Meanwhile, their four female guests, Louise (Remy's wife of 15 years), Dominique (a spinster), Diane (a divorcée) and Danielle (Pierre's girlfriend) are spending the time at a downtown health gym. They also discuss sex, the female body and, naturally, men. Later in the evening, they finally meet at the country house and have dinner. A ninth guest, named Mario, who used to know Diane, drops in on the group for some talk and has a surprise of his own.
Réjeanne PadovaniRéjeanne Padovani · 1973
Réjeanne Padovani
6.71973
MovieDrama
The unexpected return of his ex-wife and the assembly of a group of protesters both threaten to wreck a corrupt contractor's inauguration party for his new superhighway.

More Like This

Kiss and CryKiss and Cry · 2017
Kiss and Cry
7.32017
MovieRomanceDrama
A romantic drama based on the story of Carley Allison, a promising 18 year old figure skater and singer who made medical history in her fight against a rare 1 in 3.5 billion type of sarcoma.
Dark Blue Almost BlackDark Blue Almost Black · 2006
Dark Blue Almost Black
6.72006
MovieDramaRomance
Jorge feels suffocated by his menial job but can't break free of the obligations that keep him stuck — until he meets a woman who shakes his life up.
Across the UniverseAcross the Universe · 2007
Across the Universe
7.12007
MovieDramaRomance
When young dockworker Jude leaves Liverpool to find his estranged father in the United States, he is swept up by the waves of change that are re-shaping the nation. Jude falls in love with Lucy, who joins the growing anti-war movement. As the body count in Vietnam rises, political tensions at home spiral out of control and the star-crossed lovers find themselves in a psychedelic world gone mad.
Southland TalesSouthland Tales · 2007
Southland Tales
5.22007
MovieScience FictionThriller
Set in the futuristic landscape of Los Angeles on July 4, 2008, as it stands on the brink of social, economic and environmental disaster. Boxer Santaros is an action star who's stricken with amnesia. His life intertwines with Krysta Now, an adult film star developing her own reality television project, and Ronald Taverner, a Hermosa Beach police officer who holds the key to a vast conspiracy.
Van GoghVan Gogh · 1991
Van Gogh
6.71991
MovieDramaHistory
After leaving the asylum, Vincent van Gogh settles in the home of Doctor Gachet, where he keeps painting amidst the torments of his failing mental health. He begins an affair with his host’s daughter, however, she soon realizes that he doesn’t love her and that his heart beats only for art.
IkiruIkiru · 1952
Ikiru
8.31952
MovieDrama
Kanji Watanabe is a middle-aged man who has worked in the same monotonous bureaucratic position for decades. Learning he has cancer, he starts to look for the meaning of his life.
Shoot 'Em UpShoot 'Em Up · 2007
Shoot 'Em Up
6.52007
MovieActionThriller
A man named Mr. Smith delivers a woman's baby during a shootout, and is then called upon to protect the newborn from the army of gunmen.
The Flower of My SecretThe Flower of My Secret · 1995
The Flower of My Secret
6.81995
MovieDramaRomance
Middle-aged romance author Leo writes under a pseudonym, since she despises her own work. At home, her husband, who works overseas, is distant both physically and emotionally. As she reevaluates her life and writing, Leo is led to an unexpected relationship with Ángel, a sensitive newspaper editor.
The ExecutionerThe Executioner · 1963
The Executioner
7.61963
MovieComedyDrama
An undertaker gets married to an old executioner's daughter and, although he doesn't like it, must continue the profession of his father-in-law after his retirement.
My Best FriendMy Best Friend · 2006
My Best Friend
6.12006
MovieComedy
Catherine refuses to believe that her business partner, the unlikeable François, has a best friend, so she challenges him to set up an introduction. Scrambling to find someone willing to pose as his best pal, François enlists the services of a charming taxi driver to play the part.
Cassandra's DreamCassandra's Dream · 2007
Cassandra's Dream
6.32007
MovieCrimeDrama
The tale of two brothers with serious financial woes. When a third party proposes they turn to crime, things go bad and the two become enemies.
Odette ToulemondeOdette Toulemonde · 2007
Odette Toulemonde
5.72007
MovieComedyDrama
Objectively, Odette Toulemonde has nothing to be happy about, but is. Balthazar Balsan has everything to be happy about, but isn’t. Odette, awkwardly forty, with a delightful hairdresser son and a daughter bogged down in adolescence, spends her days behind the cosmetic’s counter in a department store and her nights sewing feathers on costumes for Parisian variety shows. She dreams of thanking Balthazar Balsan, her favorite author, to whom – she believes – she owes her optimism. The rich and charming Parisian writer then turns up in her life in an unexpected way.
Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the ThirteenthShriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth · 2000
Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth
4.72000
MovieComedy
In this horror parody, a masked serial killer menaces the town of Bulimia Falls with various sharp objects. Attention-seeking television personality Hagitha Utslay is soon on the scene, reporting on the ever-growing body count. Former mall security guard Doughy shows up to protect the teenage population, but he's clearly not much help, allowing the murderer to pick off even more hapless kids as numerous scary movies are referenced.
Takva: A Man's Fear of GodTakva: A Man's Fear of God · 2006
Takva: A Man's Fear of God
7.22006
MovieDrama
Humble and introvert Muharrem lives in a solitary and meager existence of a prayer and sexual abstinence adhering strictly to the most severe Islamic doctrines.His extraordinary devotion attracts the attention of the leader of a rich and powerful Istanbul religious group and he offers him an administrative post as a rent collector for their numerous properties. Muharrem's new job throws him into the modern outside world he has successfully avoided for so long. He soon witnesses conflict attitude toward alcohol consumption and goodwill.He notices that he himself has become proud, domineering and even dishonest.To make matters worse, Muharrem's inner peace is unnerved by the tormenting image of seductive woman who tempts him in his dreams,both night and day.With the balance of his devotion now upset,his fear of God begins to eat away at his senses.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter