Streaming Service: Netflix (With Subscription)
Warnings:
Sex
Language
Mild Violence
Racism
Smoking/Drugs
Rating: NC-17
The 2016 film Barry depicts Barack Obama in a light that has never been seen before by the American people. Barry is a semi-historical biopic drama following Obama during a small part of his college years at Columbia. This film was screened in the Special presentations section at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival, and later released to Netflix in December 2016. The film was directed by Vikram Gandhi who is also known for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Kumaré and a few episodes for the TV series Vice. The screenplay was written by the novelist Adam Mansbach and the cinematography was executed by Adam Newport-Berra who is known for The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Euphoria, and Creative Control. Debut feature film of actor Devon Terrell is completely convincing as if the audience is watching the real young Obama navigate an identity crisis of being a mixed man in the 1980s in New York. Along with the acting, the artful cinematography adds to the story in a way that examines Obama’s personal journey. However, some of the critics of this film were not satisfied, which I can address later.
Devon Terrell played Obama perfectly, he recreated the doubts and struggles that Obama had to endure as a mixed man attending a predominantly white Ivy League University in the early 80s. He portrays Obama in a phase where he didn’t always feel accepted nor did he always feel as if he understood his own place in the world. This adversity is examined in a genuine way and allows the audience to see Obama through a lens that is not often displayed to the American people. The film does a great job examining how Obama didn’t always feel as if he fit in with Black or White worlds and how difficult it was to find himself.
The cinematography was incredibly subtle but simultaneously cerebral. The camerawork wasn’t necessarily placing the audience in the scene but rather examining Obama’s emotions throughout the film. In addition to observing Obama, the camera lingers on tense moments and holds the shot, allowing the emotion to be fully felt by the characters and the audience. The lingering camera shots is an interesting choice for a film that is so subtle, but it works with how contemplative Obama as a person tends to be. Oftentimes in the film, the cinematographer uses a soft focus to accentuate the emotion that is being displayed and this technique works well in uplifting and unfortunate scenes. Lastly, an interesting moment in the film is when the cinematographer chose to reenact now famous photographs that are of Obama during his college years. This is a noteworthy moment because it gives a glimpse into Obama’s past and highlights relationships that he previously had. These aspects of the camerawork makes the cinematography carry the story in a positive way.
Overall, the film was well received, however some critics didn’t like that some facts were not accurate, and they had no reason to be changed. In addition to certain facts being dismissed, the film can be so subtle that is comes off as flat or boring, however if one is truly examining the camerawork during those “flat” moments, Barry is interesting and thought provoking. And finally, the biggest issue people disliked about the film was that it did not show how Obama became who he is today, it also did not show how Obama was inspired to become who he is today. However, in response to that, I think he was still figuring himself out. The film depicted him finally understanding himself as a mixed individual but does not continue that journey of him becoming a politician. With that being said, it wouldn’t make sense to allude to his inspiration for his political career that early on because he wasn’t at that point in his life yet.
In conclusion, I truly think that this film is an interesting interpretation of history. The creators certainly showcase their skills through the direction, camerawork and acting which drove the film to be thought provoking, honest and heartfelt. One aspect of the film that is also strong is the fact that Obama was not depicted as a perfect human being, this allows the audience to view him as a regular person which is necessary when creating a biography. Hopefully the critics give this film another chance with the above statements in mind because the film is very enjoyable.