If you've heard anything about Zach Cregger's "Barbarian" ahead of its release, it's probably that you should go in knowing nothing about the plot. Of course, that's true, so we will keep it brief here; but, yes, you should definitely go see "Barbarian" knowing nothing about it because Cregger finds interesting turns to surprise his audience along the way.
The movie begins like it's using a horror-thriller template, which could feel deflating right off the bat. Tess (Georgina Campbell) is sitting in her Jeep on a dark and stormy night, scrolling through her phone to confirm all the details of the Airbnb she reserved in Detroit. She's in town for a job interview as a researcher for a documentary film. She collects all of her belongings, approaches the house, and opens the key box to find no key in there. She can't get hold of the person who booked the house, but suddenly a light goes on and Keith (Bill Skarsgard) is at the door, sleepy and confused as to what she's doing. As it turns out, Tess and Keith have booked the same house through different third parties
Keith invites Tess in to get out of the rain and try to sort out her next move. They are both put out by the situation, but Keith tries to make her feel welcome when she rightfully feels unsafe, but is desperate enough to be entering a strange home with a man she has never met. That's all you need to know to set up "Barbarian." For what happens next and how Justin Long plays into the story, you should go to a theater on a Friday night for the full experience.
Cregger finds an effective balance of keeping the pace slow and tension high in the first act. It's tricky to pull off because people might see promotional marketing for "Barbarian" and expect a slam-bang thriller from the get-go. That's not what Cregger has done with his screenplay. He keeps the opening of the film mundane in its dialog but unnerving in the way he captures the scenes. Something as simple as showing repeated close ups of Tess locking doors behind her in the house creates a sense of paranoia that might not come through when she's talking about her job prospects with Keith.
Film writers are often guilty of constantly paraphrasing or butchering Roger Ebert quotes when reviewing a movie, but "Barbarian" calls to mind one of his most famous sayings: "It's not what a movie is about, it's how it is about it." That comes to mind with Cregger's movie because not everything works or adds up in a satisfying way in "Barbarian," but the movie works because of how he goes about telling it. Cregger plays with the film's structure in interesting ways, and how he has pieced the movie together feels like a breath of fresh air. Horror movies are often undone with a PG-13 rating, so it can find a larger audience. For that reason alone, the R-rated "Barbarian" is something to relish.
Barbarian Movie Review By Matthew Passantino
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