Josh Sweeney
Since Mile High Horror Film Festival is my first ever festival to cover, I felt it was appropriate to find the most outlandish-sounding movie there and really dive into it. I expected a lot, but I still was not fully prepared for the “Ryan Kruger Thing” titled Fried Barry. It began life as an award-winning short and gained a dedicated following of fans all over the world. From there, it has transformed into a full-length feature, and society is a better place for it. Period. It is a surprisingly heart-warming but very violent/trippy romp that follows a neglectful junkie father who has had his body taken over by an alien during another bender.
Or is he? That’s a question I’ve asked myself after watching the film three times now.
As a self-proclaimed ’80s horror expert, my immediate reaction was: if this film came out in 1983, it would be among the most beloved cult classics of its era. It isn’t your average film, but that’s ok because Gary Green isn’t exactly your average actor. In fact, there were only seven scenes of dialogue written and the rest was improv to accommodate this. It was shot in a way that honestly kind of mirrors Barry’s sporadic adventure. Everything was done at the moment, and because of this, it helps the audience be in the moment WITH him.
Gary Green’s portrayal of Barry is so unique that it quite literally could only be done by him. The career-extra is not a traditionally trained actor, but he took this character and made it his own. You could give this role to any other actor on the planet and not a single person could pull this off like Gary. Sadly, few men are born to be a crack addict, Mr. Bean.
The rest of the cast is played by some of the best working actors in South Africa today. Each one of them played their part so well that it really emphasized Gary’s weird take on acting at times, which is usually unforgivable, but this is campy horror/sci-fi cinema, and it’s opposite land. Bad is good, down is up, etc. One notable performance is from Chanelle Da Jager, who plays the probably very straining role of Barry’s wife, “Suz.”
Chanelle captures the pain and frustration of any partner to an addict marvelously. In that situation, you feel almost responsible for your other half even though they don’t deserve it. Obviously, she is painfully clinging onto who Barry used to be. From the few flashbacks we do get, Barry really was a great guy and they were obviously very in love. He’s different now, though, not just because he’s an alien, but addiction changes you in extreme ways. And despite it being portrayed in extremely silly ways, this movie embodies nearly every way society has alienated addicts and vice versa.
A lot of addicts struggle with the idea of alienation. They feel as though they are outsiders to society and no longer fit in because of their addiction. However, it can also be the driving factor for why they pick up the habit in the first place. While we don’t see the reasoning for Barry’s addiction, it isn’t a stretch to see him as visibly strange and different. Additionally, he seems to not think his son is his own. Whether that’s due to him just being ignorant or jealous isn’t exactly clear. The point being, Barry really strikes me as a desolate guy. Beneath the neglected-looking exterior, there is a super complex character. If you’re like me and were initially confused as to why so many people wanted him sexually, consider the idea that those people are equally as desperate and lonely as him.
A unique performance can elevate a film, and there to meet it at the pearly gates in movie heaven is a great soundtrack. Haezer’s electronic score matched the highs and lows of Barry’s erratic experience exquisitely. Due to the uniqueness of the film, nailing the tone of each scene perfectly was as key as any other element. I mean, how many movies can pull off an alien junkie tripping balls on the dance floor of a night club? Only Fried Barry.
While it would be easy to take a film like this one and over-use special effects, I appreciate that Kruger opted for the more practical approach. Some of the imagery looked all the more strange this way, even if it was pretty disturbing at times. More than a few scenes were enough to make me audibly gasp, while others go a little too deep into the realm of silly. Disturbing or not, credit where it’s due because the film was beautifully shot and the pacing is so good you don’t even realize the film runs a little over an hour and a half.
A passion project such as this could only be done by a team passionate enough to do it. The enthusiasm that they put into this film comes across so strongly, it’s simply a joy to watch. Kruger has assuredly put himself among South Africa’s best filmmakers today. I sincerely hope that we see more of Fried Barry in the future and his crazy adventures.
Can he be in the Avengers? How about trading cards?
“No”
