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How Can I Reach Difficult-to-Reach People?
French-American actor and director Julie Delpy is known for her work in comedies like “Two Days in Paris” and “Two Days in New York,” where she explores cultural clashes. Her latest film, “Meet the Barbarians,” takes on a more poignant tone as it delves into the lives of a Syrian family finding refuge in a Northern French village.
Set in Paimpont, a small town in France’s Brittany region, the movie marks Delpy’s return to feature filmmaking after directing the Netflix series “On the Verge.” The town prepares to welcome Ukrainian refugees, but Syrian refugees arrive instead, causing tensions among the locals and testing their liberal beliefs.
The film is being sold at the Venice Film Festival by Charades and will also screen at the Toronto Film Festival. In addition to “Meet the Barbarians,” Charades’ portfolio includes “Vermiglio” and “Their Children After Them.”
Delpy not only directed and wrote the film but also stars in it as Joelle, a progressive schoolteacher. She recruits her loyal friend (played by Sandrine Kiberlain) to help the Syrian family integrate despite the prejudices of some neighbors, such as the plumber Hervé (Laurent Lafitte). Throughout the film, both the locals and the new arrivals learn from each other, ultimately becoming better individuals. The stellar cast also includes Ziad Bakri, India Hair, and Mathieu Demy.
Delpy started developing the idea for “Meet the Barbarians” around 2012 when the war in Syria began. “People were escaping rape, slaughter, and war,” Delpy tells Variety. “I was deeply interested in how these people tried to survive and seek asylum.” While the refugee crisis has often been depicted in dramas, Delpy decided to approach it through comedy.
Finding humorous elements in the refugee experience was Delpy’s way to make the story more relatable and accessible to a broader audience. “My first instinct was, ‘This is horribly sad and heartbreaking.’ And my second was, ‘How do I reach people who are not easily engaged by this topic?’” Her answer was to use comedy.
The script took a new direction when the war in Ukraine began. Delpy found it shocking that “everyone I knew had Ukrainian refugees in their apartments,” while “Syrian refugees were often stuck.” She noticed a kind of “caste system” within the world of refugees.
Despite its political undertones, Delpy emphasizes that the film focuses on the basic human side of the refugee experience. However, “Meet the Barbarians” was not easy to finance. She and her longtime producer Michael Gentille managed to get Canal+ involved early on, though they faced several rejections.
Disney+ acquired SVOD rights to the film, while Le Pacte took on the French distribution. “Meet the Barbarians” is based on thorough research into how Syrian refugees ended up in France and their experiences. Delpy co-wrote the script with Matthieu Rumani and Nicolas Slomka, and collaborated with Léa Doménach. “Everyone has a different story. You have a million different stories,” Delpy notes.
The film not only pokes fun at bigots but also at social justice activists. Delpy, who identifies as progressive, mentions, “I’m surrounded by woke. Some of it is great because it’s important to be open-minded.”
When asked if she would consider making a similar movie about immigration in the U.S., where she resides, Delpy said it would be very different due to America’s unique issues, like gun violence.
She has previously attempted to write a U.S.-based satirical film about politics, but it was never produced. Entitled “World Wars and Other Fun Stuff to Watch on the Evening News,” the script was well-received but failed to secure financing.
Over the years, Delpy has often been asked about reuniting with Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater for another “Before” movie. However, they have yet to come up with a suitable idea. Delpy mentions that one concept involved her character dying of cancer, but it didn’t feel right. She believes the series should focus on relationships at different stages of life, rather than turning sensationalist.
Source: Variety
