Fried Barry

"Fried Barry" is a truly unconventional film that takes the viewer on a surreal and unsettling journey. With a rating of 8/10, the film deserves recognition for its unconventional approach and captivating portrayal.

The storyline of "Fried Barry" revolves around the protagonist Barry, who is unwillingly abducted by aliens and infected with a strange power. From that moment on, we experience the world through Barry's perspective as he drifts through the streets of Cape Town, encountering absurd and often dangerous situations.

The film excels in its unique visual design and creative direction. The cinematography and camera work contribute to capturing the psychedelic and unsettling atmosphere of Barry's world. The use of intense colors, fast cuts, and unconventional perspectives enhances the surreal experience and immerses the viewer deeply into the protagonist's twisted mindset.

The performance by Gary Green, who portrays Barry, is remarkable. He effectively conveys the character's depths and extremes, giving Barry a distinctive presence. Despite minimal dialogue in "Fried Barry," Green manages to communicate Barry's inner state and reactions through body language and expressiveness.

"Fried Barry" is certainly not a film for everyone. The disturbing and often bizarre nature of the storyline may polarize viewers, and those seeking traditional narrative structures may be disappointed. However, the film offers a unique and captivating experience for those willing to embrace its offbeat and experimental nature.

With a rating of 8/10, "Fried Barry" deserves praise for its creative approach, visual design, and Gary Green's convincing performance. For film enthusiasts who are open to an extraordinary and unsettling adventure, this film is definitely worth a watch.

If there was a plot for this movie, either I missed it or the director forgot to include it. After what I saw in Fried Barry, I'm inclined to think it's the latter.

This was sprinkled with sparse, nonsensical dialogue, which was mostly drug lingo and swear words, along with bizarre musings from passersby.

Each scenario just felt like a scene being filmed from a checklist. The only common thread between them was Barry. Other than that, it was a messy hodgepodge of sequences with goofy goings-on, little cause, and even less reason to care as it drags on.

I will say that visually, the filmmakers captured the essence of drug-induced calamity, with a smattering of clever camera tricks and lighting and such. Also, the Barry actor decently pulled off the fish-out-of-water, stranger-in-a-strange-land act pretty well.

Classified as a horror/comedy, but there's very little horror, and also very little humor. The alien angle is also sparingly present, really only at the beginning and end.

Overall, a C grade effort from me. 5/10 wouldn't watch again.

Waking one morning after a bender, a man comes to find he had been abducted by aliens during the night and implanted with a being to experience human life, but the more he tries to keep it a secret the more he wants to utilize his strange powers to help mankind inadvertently risking exposing himself and his mission.

This was a rather enjoyable if somewhat problematic effort. Among its more engaging aspects is the highly enjoyable and evocative manner of bringing about the abduction and his overall change. The psychedelic imagery present in the sequence, featuring all the flashing lights and impressive imagery to denote the machines surrounding and impaling objects into his body from just about every orifice imaginable is quite enjoyable, making for a much grander and overt arthouse influence to the sequence than just a typical abduction and probing. This arthouse style of deep, probing lighting and ethereal sounds indicating the sights and sounds around him continued throughout here quite frequently and adds another dimension to the film. Alongside the constant notion of his initial unfamiliarity with the new world being played off for shyness and an introverted attitude which means no one knows who or what he really is until it's too late, there's a lot to like here both technically and storyline wise. As well, the film scores quite nicely with the fish-out-of-water concept of how he's going through the community and what happens to him. From being a hit at the club because he can absorb dozens of party pills without effect that turns him into a dance machine that's a hit with the ladies, a sexual deviant who's able to endlessly pleasure anyone he comes across from prostitutes to his own wife to get her to stop nagging him and then freeing a group of kids from the hands of a child kidnapper, that he can use his extra abilities for a greater purpose is quite fun and commendable. Graced with a bizarre energy and a likable enough grindhouse aesthetic on top of the arthouse feel, there's a lot to like with this one. There are a few issues to be had here. One of it's biggest issues is the somewhat unappealing second half that takes a lot of the elements that made the first part really enjoyable and completely drops everything for a random series of events that aren't that interesting. Hopping around from just random plot-points about coming across random street thugs to what his wife believes is a strange illness that's never followed up or resolved to randomly meeting a child kidnapper and freeing a group of kids from his grasp, this just seems random and sloppy without any kind of structure to it. This all feels completely tacked on and away from what the original story no doubt was like. More to the point, these are quite boring and just not fun at all in the slightest to watch play out, dropping the intensity of the first part into a dull and uninteresting whimper to the finishing point.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language, Graphic Violence, Nudity, a sex scene and drug use.

Fried Barry fully commits to insanity. No social commentary, no metaphors, no emotional drama, no tense scares, there's barely even a story tying things together. It just weaves together a series of crazy characters and over the top situations into a drug fuelled kaleidoscope. The cast must be comprised of some sort of local comedy troupe as there are so many great character actors all showing up for one liners, while Gary Green kills it as the lead stoned alien. The psychedelic scenes are all suitably trippy and come at you with manic energy. There are several moments where you can't help but laugh at the sheer absurdity of it all, but this is hardly a traditional comedy. In fact there are so few traditional movie elements in this that I'm sure many won't find anything to grasp on to and enjoy. You gotta just strap in and appreciate the frenzy for what it is, or avoid this one all together.

Great Music. Great scenes. Funny and Fresh.

Not sure why all the negative reviews.

Reminds me of a 1980's fright fest film. Although the dialogue of the main Protagonist is limited, his expressionism, surrounding situation, and the films music score tells it all.

This movie is A LOT of fun and would recommend it especially with friends.

I have no problems with the acting, as everyone performed in an above average manner.

Alcohol and Drug use scenes were accurate. Definitely not written by a bunch of phony Hollywood suits sitting around a table writing what they think it's like.

I can't say is this film is cerebral but, the dark gritty landscape fits well with the story as Barry falls deeper and deeper into isolation and despair, essentially "hitting rock bottom". I found myself wondering what the 'alien', via its first hand research, thinks as it discovers the cruel capabilities of human society, by both criminals AND government, as well as the life hardships people go through but may not realize as it's normal for our species.

I would say this film is a cross between "A Weekend at Bernie's" and "The Faculty" but, not as sinister.