Review of Barry Lyndon (1975) by Reece L — 16 Aug 2015

A tempered, lengthy statement on the futility of existence and the extent of human folly set against the most absurdly ostentatious visual constructions human beings ever built, Barry Lyndon is intentionally oppressive in its stately elegance, beautifully photographed and impeccably art-directed to underline the role narcissism plays in its title character's life.

Every person in this is loathsome, the cast of characters comprised of selfish opportunists, agentless and faceless aristocrats, pathetic children, and money-hungry peasants willing to sell their family members off for coin.

Kubrick has dealt with these topics before, but here he very clearly imbues a unique, active contempt for human beings in general throughout, mocking their pathetic attempts at achieving some semblance of success in an unknowable world, synecdochally utilizing one man's rise and fall to exemplify this phenomenon.

It works on a different field than his other films, but it's certainly no less masterful, boldly embracing nihilism and deconstructing life in a way as to warrant a place alongside his absolute best work.