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Waiting for the Barbarians

  • 2019
  • 1h 52m
IMDb RATING
6.0/10
16K
YOUR RATING
Johnny Depp, Mark Rylance, and Robert Pattinson in Waiting for the Barbarians (2019)
The Magistrate of an isolated frontier settlement on the border of an unnamed empire looks forward to an easy retirement until the arrival of Colonel Joll, whose task it is to report on the activities of the "barbarians" and on the security situation on the border.
Play trailer1:51
1 Video
99+ Photos
Period DramaPrison DramaPsychological DramaDramaHistory

At an isolated frontier outpost, a colonial magistrate suffers a crisis of conscience when an army colonel arrives looking to interrogate the locals about an impending uprising, using cruel ... Read allAt an isolated frontier outpost, a colonial magistrate suffers a crisis of conscience when an army colonel arrives looking to interrogate the locals about an impending uprising, using cruel tactics that horrify the magistrate.At an isolated frontier outpost, a colonial magistrate suffers a crisis of conscience when an army colonel arrives looking to interrogate the locals about an impending uprising, using cruel tactics that horrify the magistrate.

  • Director
    • Ciro Guerra
  • Writer
    • J.M. Coetzee
  • Stars
    • Mark Rylance
    • Johnny Depp
    • Robert Pattinson
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.0/10
    16K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Ciro Guerra
    • Writer
      • J.M. Coetzee
    • Stars
      • Mark Rylance
      • Johnny Depp
      • Robert Pattinson
    • 192User reviews
    • 269Critic reviews
    • 52Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 3 nominations total

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:51
    Official Trailer

    Photos134

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    Top cast43

    Edit
    Mark Rylance
    Mark Rylance
    • Magistrate
    Johnny Depp
    Johnny Depp
    • Col. Joll
    Robert Pattinson
    Robert Pattinson
    • Officer Mandel
    Gana Bayarsaikhan
    Gana Bayarsaikhan
    • The Girl
    Greta Scacchi
    Greta Scacchi
    • Mai
    David Dencik
    David Dencik
    • Clerk
    Sam Reid
    Sam Reid
    • Lieutenant
    Harry Melling
    Harry Melling
    • Garrison Soldier 4
    Bill Milner
    Bill Milner
    • Garrison Soldier 5
    Gursed Dalkhsuren
    • Old Man
    Tserendagva Purevdorj
    • Old Barbarian
    Isabella Nefar
    Isabella Nefar
    • Star
    David Moorst
    David Moorst
    • Garrison Soldier 6
    Joseph Long
    Joseph Long
    • Baker
    Nayef Rashed
    Nayef Rashed
    • Farmer 1
    Haqi Ali
    Haqi Ali
    • Farmer 2
    Dulguun-Erdene Garamkhand
    • Boy
    Wil Coban
    Wil Coban
    • Mandel's Guard
    • Director
      • Ciro Guerra
    • Writer
      • J.M. Coetzee
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews192

    6.015.7K
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    Featured reviews

    6deloudelouvain

    Slow paced but with excellent acting.

    Although the cinematography and the acting are almost excellent the slow pace of the story makes Waiting For The Barbarians just a movie that is worth watching once but not more. It just lacks some oomph, maybe some battle scenes to make it better. There is some cruelty and torturing though, physical and mental torture, so the story is still captivating and the excellent acting of Mark Rylance is the best thing of the movie. Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson are for once the bad people, and they did a very good job playing characters that everybody normal will dislike. All in all it isn't a bad movie but it clearly misses something to make it exceptional.
    7joebloggscity

    Coetzee eye-view on the blurring of morality

    JM Coetzee is the author of the original book, and is rightly lauded for his story telling ability as much as his literary ability. However, his works haven't easily transferred to screen, which is not uncommon for high-end literary works. This one to me is borderline.

    What we have is a tale set in the 19th century of a humble wise magistrate of a garrision on the frontiers of an unnamed European Empire (seems like an area bordering around the former Soviet Union states). His stoic nature though is confronted by the entry of a colonel and his forces, who seem hell-bent to start battle with locals who are NOT looking for aggression. The Colonel is everything our magistrate is not, and the whole matter is complicated by the magistrates falling in love with a local lady he helps to return to her people.

    Surprisingly this film hasn't been warmly received by the critics which is surprising, as it is actually very good. The main hold is the sublime performance by Mark Rylance in the lead, who can't have been any better than what he has done with the role. You empathise with him, and see his destruction at the hands of his colleagues (which clearly shows that the true Barbarians are at his side and not beyond the walls).

    Johnny Depp was fine but seemed out of place, whilst Robert Pattison gets better with every film he stars in. The setting is perfect and beautiful, and the film has a fine slow pace. Admittedly it could have helped to flesh out some other characters more than just the magistrate to give them more weight, especially the mysterious colonel.

    I don't get what it is that the critics were downgrading here? It's a fine existential story, and one that some will enjoy revisiting. Fair enough, the subject matter and a number of scenes are uncomfortable to watch, but that's the point! It's not about a rose-tinted look at the colonial past. It's also not 'Zulu' (which admittedly I very much love).

    It's a tough watch at times, but very worth a viewing. Mark Rylance will little do better anywhere else ever again. He at least is a major reason to watch this one.
    6lukebohn

    Strong performances save "Waiting for the Barbarians"

    Waiting for the Barbarians is a film directed by Ciro Guerra, and stars Mark Rylance, Johnny Depp, and Robert Pattinson. This is a historical drama where Mark Rylance plays the magistrate for this fortress on the frontier of the "Empire". There is no date or location given, and not even a name for the so-called "empire". This is because the main theme deals heavily with imperialism, and the mistreatment that has gone on in almost every example of it. Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson are the "bad" guys checking up on the frontier, and trying to handle the barbarians. Now that we have simple routine out of the way, let me describe how I personally thought this movie was. This film has very important themes, and strong performances, but struggles to really keep your attention. The movie starts off pretty strong, with this rivalry between Johnny Depp (who is brilliant in this by the way), and Mark Rylance. It was highly entertaining to see their ideology duel and it looked like it was going somewhere. However, then we get to the long second act where it basically takes too long at everything. Also, there is no Johnny Depp, or any interesting characters or plot really. Mark Rylance is good, but his character is just wimpy, and not charismatic. He is just utterly weak in almost every sense. He is also kinda creepy with his weird foot fetish scenes (you will know when you see them). It finally picks up in the third half which is carried by Robert Pattinson and Johnny Depp. This isn't because Mark Rylance is bad, but his character on his own is just extremely boring. Everytime Robert or Johnny was on screen, it was very entertaining. I just feel they made Mark's character way more interesting. Besides seldom clunky moments, the acting is pretty good. The actual story is kinda interesting, but I feel we have seen it done in a more entertaining fashion. Don't get me wrong, i'm not saying I wanted more action in this movie, I just felt like more conflict was needed especially in the second act. The themes are very important, and it does a good job of showing it (imperialism is bad). The cinematography was okay, it just didn't have a lot of "wow" moments. The soundtrack also didn't strike me much, but was okay. Honestly, if this film didn't have Johnny or Robert, I don't think I would have liked it nearly as much. In the end it is an okay film, but ultimately suffers from being kinda boring the whole second act. I will say that the Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson performances are worth it in the end. I would recommend renting this movie despite its shortcomings.
    7kimos_06

    A lost masterpiece

    Caught from the first act of the film by the set ,the mood,the music, the customs ,the lighting the performance of Mark Rylance and Johnny depp paving the way for watching a masterpiece..the structure of the characters revealed and their intentions is obvious leading to an inevitable clash between them..then there was the girl which was pivotal showing us another depth of Mark Rylance's character ..feeling guilty for what happened to her people and trying to redeem his guilt by saving her despite knowing what that would lead to ..that's where the film begin to have a lot of holes and unclear parts messed with the continuity of the film messing the script structure and a lot of things was just happening without explanation which made me couldn't fully immersed emotionally with some events despite how heavily strong they were ..loved the pace ,the acting performance the angles the natural light and cinematic look and mood ,the characters complications ..but the misconnections made it a lost masterpiece.
    7j_slovak

    Beautiful

    It's a slow burn, but if you're ok with that, you're rewarded with strong performances, incredible cinematography and beautiful landscapes and a compelling lead character to root for.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Director Ciro Guerra's English-language debut.
    • Quotes

      Col. Joll: Pain is truth. All else is subject to doubt.

    • Soundtracks
      Summer
      Music by Marco Beltrami & Buck Sanders (ASCAP)

      (p) 2019 Pianella Music, Inc.

      Courtesy of Marco Beltrami & Pianella Music, Inc.

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    FAQ18

    • How long is Waiting for the Barbarians?Powered by Alexa
    • When will this be released in the US?
    • What nationality are the solders? the Brits have never worn such clothes, I can surmise they are French, the Barbarians appear to be Mongolian ?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 7, 2020 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Italy
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Mongolian
    • Also known as
      • В очікуванні варварів
    • Filming locations
      • Marrakech, Morocco(location)
    • Production companies
      • Iervolino Entertainment
      • Ithaca Pictures
      • Lady Bacardi Media
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • €15,362,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $764,815
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 52 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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