"Leftists" may see themselves as selfless, moral, idealists, and their ideology being invaded by selfish, amoral, capitalists. The latter is represented by Remy's son Sebastien, who made a fortune in dealing with futures in the London Stock Exchange. He knows how to get things done, even at the expense of compromising one's sense of morality. For example he bribes the union leader to get a bed in a closed down ward for his father. Hence the irony of a capitalist son dealing with apparently principled unionists who accept bribes to bend their own rules.
Other examples of ironies include Remy's selfless left wing idealism of sharing economic wealth (ie self-denial) versus his selfish hedonistic lifestyle of enjoying fine wines and good food. Going to the USA for the finest medical treatment but ending up buying heroin illegally from backstreet sources. Trying to procure heroin, Sebastien solicits help from the narcotics police, which draws its humour from this irony. The nun nurse who gives the injection of heroin (an illegal act for a nurse because it is not prescribed by a doctor). I am sure there are many more ironies that I've missed, but these are just my preliminary thoughts.
In the end, the two poles, Remy's moral left wing ideology and Sebastien's amoral capitalism, meet. Ideologies seem irrelevant in the face of life's realities, and finally, the love of father and son are reaffirmed. Ultimately Remy is the sort of person whose enjoyment of life is infectious, and he is surrounded by family and friends who forgive all his past wrongs. What a wonderful way to die!
The Barbarian Invasions is an intelligent film with many layers to it. Beautifully acted, truthful, and touching. It's one of those films that I think I would want to watch again because I missed out on so many details, not least of which is the way it discusses philosophy. It is a tragedy masquerading as comedy, so you laugh and cry simultaneously. I would rate it as one of the films you should watch before you die!
The DVD comes with a bonus comprising a 55 minute discussion by the cast members about the film's themes.
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Article comments
1 - Jim Carruthers
A couple of corrections and observations:
You should see this before you die, because the alternative is damn difficult.
It was actually the Greeks who coined the word barbarian (mostly to refer to the Roman empire). And the movie is the sequel to Arcand's "Decline of the American Empire" (hence the use of "barbarian invasion", the original Roman empire never really fell, it just gradually fell apart over a period of several hundred years).
Denis Arcand has often used the theme of government mis-management of public services in many of his movies, especially "Jesus of Montreal".
2 - Ken Lyen
Thanks for your corrections and observations. I love this film and have watched it several times.