FANTASIA 2020 REVIEW: FRIED BARRY

Buckle up and get ready for a nasty trip: watching FRIED BARRY is the equivalent of dropping acid and settling into some really gritty porn. 

Okay, okay MAYBE I’m exaggerating a little bit, but whoamygod. I’m not quite sure how to describe Writer and Director Ryan Kruger’s insane sci-fi comedy, other than to tell you that you just have to let yourself experience it without thinking it through too much. 

Essentially, Barry (Gary Green) is a struggling heroin addict whose home life involves him being constantly yelled at by his wife (which like, I don’t blame her for one bit? Although she’s not exactly the best person on earth either). One night he gets abducted by aliens and one them inhabits his body and plops himself back on earth, learning how to do all the human things like dance, have sex, and do lots and lots and lots and LOTS of drugs. 

Most of the film involves extreme closeups of alien-Barry, with Green giving us a masterclass of emotive expressions — I mean, SERIOUSLY, this dude and his face! It’s incredible. Alien-Barry is mostly mute, but Green’s face tells us everything we need to know, every moment he’s on screen. That face + a pulse-pounding score and Kruger’s camera taking you right *into* the action = an unforgettable viewing experience. 

Did I like it? Did I hate it? Am I offended by it? I DON’T EVEN KNOW. What I do know is that I’ll never forget watching FRIED BARRY. So that’s something. 

See FRIED BARRY streaming On Demand as part of Fantasia International Film Festival’s online program, August 20 through September 2.