SILVER

[LES BARBARES]
Both art house darling and one of France's leading filmmakers, Julie Delpy expertly walks the line between crowd-pleasing comedy and serious-minded drama in this deft exploration of frequently contradictory European attitudes to immigration, as well as rising xenophobia and nationalism. In the quaint village of Paimpont, the town is excited to welcome a family of Ukrainian refugees, but attitudes quickly change when the community learns that the family headed their way is from Syria. At first received with some trepidation, the Fayad family finds its footing in the village, shifting their preconceptions, just as the townspeople shift their own biases and assumptions. But the division in the town runs deep as a xenophobic local businessman refuses to accept the family, while the town's crusading progressive (Delpy) is ready to descend into petty feuds to signal her virtue. A comedy with a big heart, big ideas and plenty of big laughs, this timely fish-out-of-water tale pokes fun at the bigoted views of Europe's right-wing and at the performative ideals of liberal-minded citizens alike. But at the heart of the story is the Fayad family and the all-too-real situation in their homeland, which has forced them to find refuge in the most unlikely — and sometimes most inhospitable — of places. –Abbie Algar

Official Selection, 2024 AFI FEST and Toronto film festivals. DIR/SCR Julie Delpy; SCR Matthieu Rumani, Nicolas Slomka; PROD Michael Gentile. France, 2024, color, 101 min. In French, English and Arabic with English subtitles. NOT RATED