In the culture-clash comedy “ Meet the Barbarians ,” actor-director Julie Delpy lays bare a number of Western hypocrisies. The film follows several townspeople in the struggling French commune of Paimpont, who vote to welcome a handful of Ukrainian refugees, but are caught by surprise when a Syrian family shows up instead. The ensuing response runs the gamut from clumsy to hostile, which Delpy captures by applying a documentary-like lens to the town’s fabric, and to their Arab guests.
The result is a movie that, though it never quite achieves the dramatic highs for which it aspires, proves eye-wateringly funny. The film flies out the gate with an energy reminiscent of “The Office,” as bumbling mayor Sébastien Lejeune (Jean-Charles Clichet) regales a TV news crew with his plans to welcome a Ukrainian family. The city council votes overwhelmingly in favor.
Even potential holdout Hervé Riou (Laurent Lafitte), the sour-faced town plumber, gives in after a slight nudge from his peers. A number of local interviews paint the issue of Russia’s invasion, and of welcoming Ukrainians with open arms, as one generally agreed upon, despite the fears and economic reservations folks like Hervé might harbor. However, these doubts come bubbling back to the surface when the town learns of the administrative switcheroo.
The bits of “Meet the Barbarians” shot by TV cameras are differentiated from the rest of the movie by news chyrons, as well as by a smaller frame. However, .