Barbarian (2022)

As much as Barbarian deserves praise for its own entertainment, it would be in the viewer’s audience interest to give thought to comedy, drama, and horror with an effort.  It goes on with three persons, separated between each character that gives a full-screen time alone explaining their character. First, Tess, the girl who survived. Tess moves into a house that’s already occupied by Keith. Keith and Tess drink wine together, and Keith later dies after being bashed to the wall by the nameless creature. Then arrives AJ at the house he owns, fleeing a sexual accusation scandal that never follows up. Tess’s job opportunity never gets a follows up either.  We get a background of Frank, the gentleman who build and gave birth to women and the children and the children’s children.

A character says that the creature is the result of incest for 40 years.  The first half is probably the best. The second part is just funny. And the third act is just bad writing or the film director lost ideas on the story. The evolvement for some characters doesn’t feel earned and the lines feel not honest. Maybe it’s the actor or that the writing is cringed or by default not very pleasing. We get by a side character with a short resume of the owner and the creature living in the house. How and why are never explained.

The cops don’t do anything to help, which is weird. Nobody lives there. Nobody cares. Unexplanatory things happen and never follow up. The cinematography is best once they’re in the tunnels and at the end part. The actors do what they must do. AJ is the douche guy who just does whatever he wants and when he wants. The violence is graphic and distinct. If someone is killed, you get to watch gory and bloody.

This is certainly a weird, strange, absurd movie filled with plotholes and funny scenes when it’s supposed to be scary. The tone shifts between the scenes and as a complete story it would need at least another act to fill the gap that this film doesn’t answer. It’s intense for sure but is not scary just awkward and dark at some points.  Entering the unknown is probably the best part, the other thing just follows.