Development developed the idea for
The Barbarian Invasions out of a fascination with death and theories on the
September 11 attacks.
Denys Arcand, who wrote and directed the successful French Canadian film
The Decline of the American Empire (1986), developed the idea of returning to the characters years later due to a fascination with death and an idea of having a character who is expecting to die. Part of his interest in the subject matter related to both of his parents dying of cancer. He had tried to write screenplays about non-
Decline characters going to die for 20 years prior to
The Barbarian Invasions, originally pitching the idea to the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation but having difficulty with the subject matter being overly sentimental. He finally decided to try the story with characters from
The Decline of the American Empire because of his fondness for its cast members. There are also characters from Arcand's 1989 film
Jesus of Montreal in the film. The
September 11 attacks of 2001 occurred when Arcand was nearly finished his screenplay, and gave new impetus to Arcand's ideas of "the decline of the
American Empire." Arcand believed the attack represented the first of what would be many foreign attacks on the U.S. Arcand also referred to himself as "post
-isms", and incorporated this discussion into the film. Another statement he tried to make with his film was that
heroin could be legalized for terminally ill patients in Canada, claiming it already is in England. The film was produced by both Canadian and French companies, including
Telefilm Canada,
Société Radio-Canada and
Canal+. The budget was $6 million.
Casting was newly cast as Sébastien and won the
Genie Award for
Best Supporting Actor for the role. The cast members from the previous film, including
Dorothee Berryman,
Louise Portal,
Dominique Michel,
Pierre Curzi and
Yves Jacques, were easy to secure for the sequel. New to the cast was
Marie-Josée Croze, who was selected by Arcand after starring in the Canadian films
Maelstrom (2000) and
Ararat (2002). She found Arcand allowed her freedom in how she interpreted her role. In
The Decline of the American Empire, Croze's character Nathalie is played by
child actress Ariane Frédérique.
Stéphane Rousseau, better known in Quebec as a stand-up comedian than an actor, was cast as Sébastien, after Dominique Michel urged Arcand to allow Rousseau to audition. Arcand explained he felt Rousseau had the "authority" the other actors who auditioned did not, though Rousseau was surprised to get the part as he felt his character was colder and more of an intellectual than he was. Rousseau's mother had died of cancer when he was a child, and he had fought with his father, later incorporating that experience into his performance.
Filming The film was shot over 50 days, beginning in September 2002 and finishing in November. The bulk of the film was shot in Montreal, with some scenes filmed in London. Footage from the
World Trade Center attack shot by a Quebec architect and acquired by
Radio-Canada was also used. For the hospital scenes, the cast and crew employed Lachine General Hospital, an unused former hospital in
Lachine, Quebec. Cinematographer
Guy Dufaux found these scenes difficult to make interesting and realistic at the same time, and decided on more lighting for later scenes when the film's mood brightens, while using fluorescent fixtures and reflecting the former hospital's green painting to shoot the early scenes. As with the first film, scenes were filmed near
Lake Memphremagog. Most of the film was shot using a
Steadicam. ==Release==