Waiting for the Barbarians (2019)

Director: Ciro Guerra

Stars: Mark Rylance, Johnny Depp, Robert Pattinson
Runtime: 112 minutes

Synopsis: A Magistrate working in a distant outpost begins to question his loyalty to the empire.

Performances: 9/10
Screenplay: 6/10
Editing: 7/10
Cinematography: 8/10
Score/Soundtrack: 8/10

Verdict: Ciro Guerra is a director whose work I find fascinating and multilayered. "Waiting for the Barbarians" is only his third feature, but I consider those who came before it to be two of the best films of the 2010s. "Embrace of the Serpent" and "Birds of Passage" both went under the radar of many people, but serve as some of the most grounded portals into unknown civilizations I have seen. He has a certain flair for detail that is the result of thorough research on the subject of his movies, almost giving them a sort of fictional documentary atmosphere that is both captivating and bewitching.

His latest project sees Guerra take a major Hollywoodian step. Not only is it the first time that the English language dominates the film's dialogue, but the casting of names such as Mark Rylance, Johnny Depp, or Robert Pattinson made it clear that he wanted this movie to be more accessible. And that may be the reason why I thought it was his weakest movie to date.

And by weakest, I don't mean bad for a second. In fact, it may be one of the most finely crafted films of 2019. The performances are all great with Rylance and Depp delivering the most interesting ones (I personally could've done with more Pattinson, though), the cinematography is absolutely gorgeous and succeeds in giving the movie an authentic look. However, it's the script that left me a little underwhelmed as I found it to be a little dry, especially towards the middle where a romance I couldn't get into was introduced. Unlike Guerra's previous work, "Waiting for the Barbarians" felt much more thematic and focuses on differentiating between the terms "Barbarian" and "Barbaric". Without naming the place in which the events take place, it very obviously serves as a critique on colonialism and the treatment of white settlers towards natives. And despite being the film's main focus, I found the commentary to be mostly flat, with no real progression to what it was trying to say.

"Waiting for the Barbarians" is still worth investing your time on as it most certainly delivers on the technical side. I'm already eager to see what topic Guerra will tackle next. 

FINAL GRADE: 7/10