It's
not a documentary, and it's not by a conservative. The writer and
director is a French-Canadian leftist, or former leftist. But, among
other things, the film is a horrifying and hilarious exposé of health
care in Canada. The film is The Barbarian Invasions by Denys
Arcand, and though it did well in the U.S. for a foreign picture,
winning the Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film in 2004 and
grossing over $25 million, it hasn't been seen by nearly enough people.
Barbarian provides a vivid glimpse of what we have in store if President Obama is re-elected in November. I should perhaps at this point issue the usual "spoiler" caveat, though as it's a film about a man with terminal cancer, there isn't much of a plot to spoil. Like many good movies, it's the interactions of the characters and the ways in which relationships evolve under stress that make the story interesting.
Rémy is dying of an unspecified cancer. His ex-wife Dominique pleads with their estranged son to fly back to Quebec from London and see his father for the final time.
The source of the estrangement is clear enough from the early minutes of the film. Rémy is an outspoken socialist history professor, a libidinous devotee of the counterculture. His son, Sébastien, is an arch-capitalist, a commodities arbitrageur for a bank in the City, who "never reads a book," Rémy says disgustedly. Each heartily despises the values of the other. But it is only the son's Gordon Gekko morals -- his willingness to bribe and bully -- and his deep pockets that enable Rémy to escape the horrors of the Canadian health care system.
Barbarian provides a vivid glimpse of what we have in store if President Obama is re-elected in November. I should perhaps at this point issue the usual "spoiler" caveat, though as it's a film about a man with terminal cancer, there isn't much of a plot to spoil. Like many good movies, it's the interactions of the characters and the ways in which relationships evolve under stress that make the story interesting.
Rémy is dying of an unspecified cancer. His ex-wife Dominique pleads with their estranged son to fly back to Quebec from London and see his father for the final time.
The source of the estrangement is clear enough from the early minutes of the film. Rémy is an outspoken socialist history professor, a libidinous devotee of the counterculture. His son, Sébastien, is an arch-capitalist, a commodities arbitrageur for a bank in the City, who "never reads a book," Rémy says disgustedly. Each heartily despises the values of the other. But it is only the son's Gordon Gekko morals -- his willingness to bribe and bully -- and his deep pockets that enable Rémy to escape the horrors of the Canadian health care system.
No comments:
Post a Comment