The presence of talented actors can’t elevate what ends up being a deeply disheartening experience. Sir Mark Rylance portrays the colonial magistrate in a remote region where "Col. Joll" (Johnny Depp) anticipates an imminent assault from the group referenced in the title. Even though it seems like just sheep farmers live near their protected settlement, he initiates some torture before continuing his inquiries. Simul…

Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Colonel Joll in Waiting for the Barbarians delivers a truly memorable villain. I would characterize him as something like a colonial Darth Vader or an early example of a Nazi figure – and regarding this comparison, his character serves as a clear demonstration of Hannah Arendt's concept of 'banality of evil;' he is meticulously careful, with not even a strand out of place, and completely ef…

J.M. Coetzee, who won a Nobel Prize, adapted his own book into the film "Waiting for the Barbarians," which feels particularly relevant given current events; it portrays some of colonialism's most brutal and unkind elements. The movie serves as a somber reflection of societal pressures to marginalize those deemed different. The story unfolds in a remote outpost on the edge of an empire, where Magistrate (Mark Ryla…