Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- austere
- oppressive
- brooding
- serious film night
- literary adaptation viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly found the adaptation admirable in its themes and performances but insufficiently affecting as drama.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The magistrate's legal authority operates inside an empire whose officials use interrogation and punishment to control local people.
The magistrate's settled frontier routine collapses after Colonel Joll's treatment of suspected locals horrifies him.
The unnamed frontier outpost and surrounding desert create a stark, exposed setting for the empire's coercive presence.
The empire, frontier settlement, and threatened uprising are presented without fixed national identities, emphasizing recurring structures of oppression.
Films like Waiting for the Barbarians, and why
The Mission
shared anti-colonial themes, morally conflicted authority figure, and austere historical drama
The Last King of Scotland
shared colonial violence, oppressive institutions, and psychologically grave period atmosphere
Lawrence of Arabia
shared desert setting, imperial brutality, and contemplative political drama
The Battle of Algiers
shared themes of occupation, torture, and ethical resistance in a stark historical drama
Movie Details
- Director
- Ciro Guerra
- Release Date
- 2020-07-30
- Runtime
- 112 min
- Rating
- 5.9 / 10 (408)
Cast
- Mark Rylance
- Johnny Depp
- Robert Pattinson
- Gana Bayarsaikhan
- Greta Scacchi
- David Dencik
- Sam Reid
- Harry Melling
- Bill Milner
- Gursed Dalkhsuren
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix Standard with Ads, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Waiting for the Barbarians about?
- An isolated imperial magistrate confronts the machinery of colonial cruelty when a ruthless officer turns a frontier outpost into a laboratory of fear.
- What is Waiting for the Barbarians like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Waiting for the Barbarians as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Waiting for the Barbarians violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Waiting for the Barbarians as brutal.
- What did critics think of Waiting for the Barbarians?
- Critics broadly found the adaptation admirable in its themes and performances but insufficiently affecting as drama.
- Which films are like Waiting for the Barbarians?
- Films with a similar feel include The Mission, The Last King of Scotland, Lawrence of Arabia, and The Battle of Algiers.
- How long is Waiting for the Barbarians?
- Waiting for the Barbarians runs 112 minutes.
- Where can I watch Waiting for the Barbarians?
- In United States, Waiting for the Barbarians streams on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix Standard with Ads, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
