Rylance plays the unnamed Magistrate of a border outpost. He is in charge of this section of the line to be held against the barbarians that wander the plains, ostensibly posing a danger to the Empire. But in the course of doing his duty over the years, he has realized that things here are far different than the way the powers that be perceive them. To his mind, the barbarians are simply nomadic people who want nothing more than to be left alone. They are no threat to him or his people.
Things change when a seemingly minor theft in the town leads to the Empire taking an interest. Specifically, they send the sinister Colonel Joll (Depp) to investigate. Said investigation is done via sadistic means, with Joll and his men utilizing violent torture to extract coerced confessions regarding acts of sedition and plots against the Empire.
The Magistrate finds himself sympathizing with Joll’s victims, particularly a young woman (Gana Bayarsaikhan, TV’s “Intelligence”) whose terrible wounds have left her crippled and unable to return to her people. He spends time nursing her wounds and the connection between them quietly grows. All the while, his questions regarding the Empire and its methods continue to fester.
But those sympathies and questions soon come back to bite him when Joll’s henchman Officer Mandel (Pattinson) comes to the outpost to clear the way for the Colonel’s return. And when the Magistrate’s loyalty comes under fire, circumstances quickly spiral out of control, both for him and for the outpost in general.
“Waiting for the Barbarians” is an aptly titled film. Much of the movie’s run time is filled with a sense of anticipation, of waiting for something to happen. Unfortunately, those payoffs are both too infrequent and a little underwhelming. There’s a sedentary vibe to the proceedings that, while certainly evocative of the setting, causes some difficulty regarding our engagement. The pacing is almost glacial most of the time, interspersed with occasional moments of brutality.
The sandy steppes that serve as the setting are undeniably stunning to look at. Guerra clearly has an eye for the grandiose, composing some genuinely striking screen pictures that capture the austere bleakness of the windblown deserts. All of it brings forth a sense of vastness and isolation, the outpost a tiny dot in the middle of an unforgiving landscape.
It will come as no surprise that Rylance is outstanding. In his hands, the Magistrate becomes a man whose separation from his superiors has led him down a freethinking path; he exudes gentleness and goodness. No one does quiet dignity like Rylance and he wields it to full effect. Depp radiates menace from the moment he appears on screen; he manages to encapsulate the buttoned-up sadism of the character instantly. Pattinson’s violence is closer to the surface, explosive and dismissive at the same time; he’s very good even though he doesn’t really turn up until over halfway through the film. Bayarsaikhan does lovely, subtle work as the girl and there are a number of solid ensemble performances sprinkled throughout as well, but the film ultimately belongs to the trio atop the billing.
Yet, even with the first-rate performances and the stark majesty of the setting, “Waiting for the Barbarians” doesn’t work. In its efforts to condemn the sins of colonialism and point up the contrast between civil oversight and militant occupation, it loses the thread of storytelling. The why of the narrative is muddied by the slow pacing and a sense of disconnect. And while keeping the Empire as a vague entity – it’s obviously modeled on the British Empire, but is intended as a fictional analogue – makes sense in terms of storytelling flexibility, the undefined nature of it makes it somewhat more difficult to fully connect.
“Waiting for the Barbarians” has a lot to recommend it, with its strong performances and hauntingly lovely setting. Unfortunately, those elements aren’t enough to elevate it to the capital-G Greatness that it obviously seeks. It’s a film that falls short of its aims, a collection of excellent pieces that nevertheless fail to fully coalesce. A pretty good movie that could (and should) have been better.
[3.5 out of 5]
