Barbaque

Really very well done with comic quid pro quos and very funny dialogues but extremely black and gory humor. Some scenes can be very disturbing for sensitive people. It seems to have been made by French people especially for French people and not for American prudes. If you don't like it, definitely don't go see it and don't comment. You have been warned.

The plot is bizarre and unexpected-even if you've read the synopsis, you'll still find yourself thinking, "They did not just do that". And yet, somehow, it all works. While there are gory moments, they're not overdone or repetitive, so I'm not entirely convinced this qualifies as horror. In fact, what might shock viewers more are the borderline jokes and body-related humour, which fit the premise perfectly but are definitely not for all audiences.

There's a good dose of dark comedy: brace yourself for the "hunting" scenes, which are beautifully shot and absolutely hilarious. The story, despite its absurd twists, manages to feel disturbingly believable. It reminded me of Albert Dupontel's early films (Bernie and Le Créateur), where we effectively follow the perspective of a serial killer through a comedy plot.

Last but not least, the acting is stellar. Fabrice Eboué is pitch-perfect, and Marina Foïs proves yet again why she's one of the best, delivering a flawless performance even in such a daring role.

If you're in the mood for something wild and unconventional, this one will surprise you in the best way.

Resuming a subject treated by American movies such as "the farm" (2018) and the hilarious " motel hell " (1980) "Barbaque" (French slang for meat) applies it to the current mode of the veggies/vegans vs meat gastronomy.

Well ,you may be,like me ,a veggie ,and appreciate this exciting farce ,provided you have a good sense of (black,of course!) humor ! The poor butchers have their store attacked by a vegetarian : they take vengeance on him by run him over.... And the best way to get rid of a dead body , it's to eat it; so they sell him as "pork from Iran " and the customers find it so delicious that they ask for more. So they begin to hunt for raw material.

There are scenes which will make you heartily laugh:the meal with the son-in-law and his reproach (a nightmare !) ; the slap at the factory farming meat sold in the large store of the couple's so called friends; the lectures by an eminent professor on the awful bloody killers -the last one is a stroke of genius .

Apart from the obligatory song in English (here Steppenwolf's "born to be wild" ) ,because of the dearth of chansons françaises, "la barbaque" takes us far away from the feel good contemporary French comedy ,off the beaten track ,which is fine with me ;a last piece of advice:don't watch it when you're having dinner ,veggie or not.

The movie already has a lot of titles - I wouldn't be surprised if it gets this one too somewhere (hey pass on some money if you use that! Just saying). Kidding aside - well not entirely, because the movie thrives on humor. Dark humor, but humor nonetheless. And is built on broken and fragile relationships.

The director is also the main actor in this. And while he had an even funnier hairstyle in the video message he sent to the filmfest I attended, he still looks funny and trustworthy. Which of course is a great contradiction to all the terrible things that he is "forced" to do.

If you are easily offended and triggered the movie may not be for you. The movie also says a lot about us as a society. The way we treat each other - there are a few themes hidden inside the movie that it explores quite nicely.

In the black humor register, bloody, lethal humor, I admit that I prefered C'EST ARRIVE PRES DE CHEZ VOUS, starring Benoit Poelvoorde, it was more disturbing than this one, maybe too comedy oriented. But it is daring for the French movie industry to produce this kind of film, which is also speaking of a modern issue, at least in France: vegan actvism. It is entertaining, well edited, fast paced, with sharp dialogues but with sometimes weak acting from supporting characters. You can watch it during your meal, even if you cook and eat red meat, this is not really disgusting, not nasty enough. To summarize, comedy takes more place than dark and bloody elements. It remains worth watching though.