Barry
2018
Original language: English
- comedy
- crime
- drama
The story
A hit man from the Midwest moves to Los Angeles and gets caught up in the city's theatre arts scene.
What it’s like
Flat, sun-bleached Los Angeles light, with the hard glare of parking lots and strip-mall afternoons giving way to dim, warm interiors where acting classes and rehearsal rooms glow under practical lamps. The camera is mostly steady and unfussy, with handheld moments that tighten during violence and then pull back into comfortable, observational framing of people talking too long over bad coffee. Sound is a mix of quiet suburban hum, sudden sharp gunfire and a light, wry score, so the shifts in mood land with a jolt. The vibe is dark comedy with a sad undertow: anxious, restless and sometimes quietly bleak, the kind of show that suits a late night alone or a long binge on a slow weekend. Pacing is tight and episodic, with long conversational scenes punctuated by abrupt, brutal bursts. Its central arc follows a damaged, emotionally shut-off man slowly and painfully reckoning with his past and with people who want more from him than he can give. Intensity is significant: frequent gun violence, some graphic killing and brutal beatings, plus strong profanity, depression and PTSD themes, and sexual content. Best for adults who like crime drama with a sharp comic edge and don't need anything gentle.
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