Waiting for the Barbarians review – Mark Rylance rescues heavy-handed adaptation

True to its title, you’re bound to spend most of Colombian director Ciro Guerra’s new film waiting, waiting, waiting. This handsome but slow-paced drama, based on the acclaimed novel by Nobel Prize-winning author J.M. Coetzee (who also wrote the script), is well-made and shot with a painterly quality. It’s also an offputtingly literal watch. Thankfully there is Mark Rylance, giving one of his best performances to date as a man caught in a conflict between his own people and the “barbarians” of the title.

Set in an undetermined time and place in history, Waiting for the Barbarians hinges on an unnamed Magistrate (Rylance), whose life as a respected official in a remote settlement takes a dramatic turn when the straight-faced Colonel Joll (Johnny Depp) arrives to investigate a crime carried out by two indigenous men. Sent by the “Empire” and echoing the position of his masters, Joll believes that all natives pose a threat and must be dealt with accordingly. The Magistrate disagrees, and before long he’s drawn into an escalating dispute across four seasons – a scenario made worse when he falls in love with an indigenous woman, played by Gana Bayarsaikhan, who has been mutilated on Joll’s orders.

With the brilliantly hallucinogenic Embrace of the Serpent and – earlier this year – the majestic Birds of Passage, Guerra has already spent the sum of two whole films exploring the effects of colonisation on indigenous tribes. But lacking the magical realism that made those efforts so interesting – and so open to interpretation – Barbarians pales in comparison. This time, everything Guerra wants you to feel is signposted. Imperialism is bad. Colonisation is bad. And as the so-called “barbarians” are beaten by cold-blooded soldiers, we are beaten again and again with unsubtle, repetitive indictments. No points for guessing who the real barbarians are.

Rylance single-handedly upgrades the film with a fascinating and committed lead performance; there is an interesting blend of frailty, defiance, and cowardice on show here that proves he really is one of the best screen actors working today. The same can’t quite be said of Depp, who appears as though transported from an entirely different film. It doesn’t help that his dark glasses – the only real semblance of character he’s given – resemble the ones he wore in Tim Burton’s ill-judged Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Robert Pattinson fans are also sure to be disappointed. He doesn’t show up until the final act, and even then it’s in the fleeting part of a sadistic officer who spends most of his time sneering at Rylance’s character. Whilst Pattinson can add ruthlessness to his ever-expanding wheelhouse of actorly traits, he also looks a bit lost here, as though unable to imagine what his character might be thinking. It’s his least memorable part in years.

Waiting for the Barbarians is one of those frustrating films that has seemingly assembled all the right elements, and yet the result is surprisingly flat. See it for the stunning scenery and Rylance at the top of his game, but don’t expect to be quite gripped.

This film was screened to the press as part of the BFI London Film Festival 2019.