The Barbarian Invasions

On the eve of his final illness, Remy the Montreal professor learns he has liver cancer. His ex wife Louise asks their estranged son Sebastien, who built a life in London, to return. Using his connections, Sebastien finds a way to rally help as Remy confronts the illness. Old friends Pierre, Alain, Dominique, Diane and Claude drift in and out, reviving memories and old debates as the hospital rooms and city streets become stages for a quiet drama about love, duty, and the messy business of saying goodbye. The film stages quick dialogue and crowded rooms to capture the messy but intimate dynamics of a family facing the end of life.

Directed by Denys Arcand, The Barbarian Invasions is a fresh sequel to The Decline of the American Empire created as an original script rather than adapted from a book. It features Rémy Girard as Remy and an ensemble that includes Stéphane Rousseau, Marie-Josée Croze, Dorothée Berryman and Louise Portal. The film arrived in 2003 and quickly drew attention at home and abroad.

The film performed robustly worldwide, with a strong box office gross of about 34.9 million on an 8 million budget, marking a commercial success for a Canadian production. Its success helped secure international distribution and broaden the audience reach.

Winning the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2004 ceremony, the film marked a milestone for Canadian cinema and elevated Denys Arcand's profile on the global stage. The Oscar win was celebrated by Canadian filmmakers and critics as a milestone for Francophone cinema.

It helped spur conversations about aging, family duty, and the healthcare system in Canada and beyond. Its balanced mix of humor and emotion resonated with a wide audience, boosting Quebec cinema's prestige and showing how socially aware storytelling can reach international screens.