A quiet birthday dinner between two couples at a rural London estate turns into a terrifying home invasion. Barbarians begins as a character study in emasculation, deceit, and jealousy. Then devolves into a brutal fight for survival against masked intruders. The couples must forget their differences and work together in a tense fight or flight scenario.
Barbarians is the feature film directorial debut of British producer Charles Dorfman. Known for award-winning character dramas The King’s Speech, Tracks, The Lost Daughter, and the Liam Neeson actioner, Honest Thief. Movieweb spoke at length with Charles Dorfman and Barbarians star Catalina Sandino Moreno. Our first foray into the film discussed why he chose this story to get behind the camera after a successful career producing. He wanted to explore themes of maturity and the transition into adulthood.
Why Charles Dorfman Chose Barbarians for Directorial Debut
Charles Dorfman: I started writing to be in it… the early days (laughs). I always wanted to direct. It felt like a good place to start. On the face of it, a home invasion thriller set at a dinner party. I was interested in the transition between childhood and adulthood. Maybe we don’t have that anymore. I didn’t have that as a man in my thirties. That was the impetus for me.
The film has a unique look. One of the protagonists, Lucas (Tom Cullen), an aggressive alpha male who sold the property, records himself constantly on social media. There’s an interesting transition between his viewpoint and the violent action of the second act.
Charles Dorfman: As for the handheld cameras, if everything is safe and secure, you don’t have to worry about anything. When chaos comes, you’re not ready to deal with it. That’s the idea between the two halves of the film. The first half is very stable. The camera doesn’t move at all. When it moves it’s specific, like the prologue in the beginning. The home invasion marks a change.
Preparing for Emotionally Charged Scenes
Catalina Sandino Moreno stars as Eva, a wealthy artist married to Adam (Iwan Rheon), a timid man struggling in her shadow. He’s bullied by Lucas for his diminutive size and shy nature. Eva, on the other hand, is outgoing and forthright. Why would Eva be with a shrinking violet like Adam? How did she prepare for such an emotional role?
Catalina Sandino Moreno: We get into the movie at a certain point in their lives. This is not their usual relationship. We start the movie at a period of his life that’s difficult. They’ve known each other forever. When you know someone, you can’t just ditch them when they’re going through a rough patch. That’s what love is right? She’s giving him support and love.
Catalina Sandino Moreno: For me, it’s really important to get to know my co-stars. In acting, as in life, you just can’t go and do it by yourself. It’s teamwork. Getting to know Iwan was great. He’s just a joy to work with. He’s a joy as a human and person. He’s funny. He wants to work and try new things. I just want a good connection with someone who’s going to be my partner. I want those connections to be strong prior to when we start shooting. It’s something we have to do together. Then it gets easier. It’s not like I prepared. That’s technical. It’s important to just connect and the character will develop. The story will develop.
Catalina Sandino Moreno: I’m not a method actor. When you don’t talk to me, I can’t understand what you’re going through. I can go easily to those places. And remove myself from those places. It was easy because I made the connections. When you feel you’re in a safe space, it’s easier for you to go there quickly. Then remove yourself from it.
Themes of Emasculation & Toxic Masculinity
Adam is forced to prove his manhood to the domineering Lucas. He’s threatened by an alpha male who diminishes him in front of his wife. This leads to a startling reveal that drives a wedge between the strained harmony at dinner. I was curious if Adam and Lucas represented the extremes of male egotism.
Charles Dorfman: Yes, Adam is going out of his way to not be that. He’s going out of his way to please the people in his life. But it means he’s not being true to his self. There’s no alignment to his thoughts, words, and actions. That’s being an adult. I wanted to show that in relief to something else. Lucas represents a masculinity that he enforces on everyone around him. But is ultimately quite brittle. The relationship between two guys can get cruel. But ultimately below that, there is a friendship. It’s also quite competitive. In the kitchen, the men are competing. At dinner, the women are actually connecting and being friendly.
The Fox & Stone in Barbarians
The property, called Gateway One, is built adjacent to a Druid stone monument. The film initially has a dark and supernatural feel. Adam finds an injured, bloody fox in the opening scenes. He avoids it. But the animal finds a way into the house. Which forces Adam to deal with it again. These two story elements are intriguing. Charles Dorfman acknowledges they are the most asked questions about the film.
Charles Dorfman: I have been advised not to answer a question with a question (laughs). I’d love to know what you think (laughs). I can tell you. How you behave in front of a defenseless being defines your character. Adam knows what to do to save the fox. But because he’s fearful of it, runs away when no one’s looking. It’s setting up his problem as a person. He knows the right thing to do but doesn’t do it. The fox throughout time represents a call to action in different cultures. The biggest question I get asked is, ‘How does the fox end up in the kitchen?’ Adam doesn’t know. Ultimately, he has to deal with something in front of him.
Charles Dorfman: The supernatural element… I wanted the stone and that area to have a sense of ritual. That day, the summer solstice represents his [Adam] transition from childhood to adulthood. They were encroaching on the area. It’s never good to encroach on a holy area. I didn’t want to make it too supernatural. I didn’t want to let the characters off the hook. I wanted real people in a difficult circumstance.
The Best and Worst Days on Barbarians
We closed the interview with the director and star reflecting on the film. Catalina had nothing but praise for the experience. Charles was thrilled with his cast and turn as a director. He was quite nervous throughout the process. And had a distinct issue that proved to be very problematic.
Catalina Sandino Moreno: Every day was fun to go to work. I don’t live in England. I enjoyed that beautiful, fantastic house. And shooting with very nice people. There was no bad day for me. I have nothing bad to say. I usually have just one horrible day, but not here. We didn’t shoot nights, which is horrible. We only shot one night. It was a great experience for me.
Charles Dorfman: There were two moments where I felt, pinch me. I can’t believe we’re doing this. The actors came in, we rehearsed a few days. I was so nervous. I had to lie down in this room, meditate, and get my s**t together. I loved working with these actors. Sitting around the table, watching everyone play with each other. That was a dream come true. These amazing actors were speaking lines I had written. I loved that it was coming to life.
Charles Dorfman: I definitely have a clear worse day (laughs). We were actually going to shoot a week of nights and go back into days. We changed it. The simple thing of closing the curtains really affected scheduling. We didn’t have a first [Assistant Director]. It all coincidentally happened on the first day of steady cam. Which was the first day of the invasion. Which involved all the masks. It was not good. It was a very tricky day. I found it quite stressful. I don’t know if I can swear in the interview (laughs).
Barbarians is currently in theaters and available on-demand from IFC Midnight.
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