The teaser for an upcoming Netflix biopic film on US President Barack Obama, Barry, has been released. The film is directed by Vikram Gandhi and written by Adam Mansbach. Barry was acquired by Netflix after it premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last month. Prior to its release, it has already garnered positive reviews.
Set in the early 1980s, the film will be focusing on Obama’s life back when he was in studying at Columbia University, long before he made his way to becoming the President of the United States. The character will be portrayed by Australian actor Devon Terrell. At first, fans were skeptical about Terrell being the right choice for the role given the fact that he didn’t have a lot to show for but he nailed the audition and got signed for his dream role. The film also stars several renowned actors like Ellar Coltrane, Jenna Elfman and Ashley Judd.
Barry comes after Richard Tanne’s Southside with You, a biographical romantic drama based on Obama’s first date with Michelle Robinson back in 1989. The movie outlines Barry’s life as he struggles with the prevalent racial discrimination and finds himself amid several strained relationships, including the one between his mother and his estranged Kenyan father. After having spent his childhood days moving from Hawaii to Indonesia to California, Barry steps foot in New York City in 1981 as a 20-year-old chain-smoker who soon starts dating Charlotte, a white woman amid an environment that remains racially-charged. The film is mainly centered around Obama’s junior year at college when he starts to grow out of the youthful, curious phase and shapes a mindset about politics and racism.
Barry has received positive reviews from critics who called it a “layered, artful film” as opposed to being just a “Hallmark Original Movie or cash-grab”. The movie was rated 7.8/10 by IMDB and was given a 92 per cent rating by Rotten Tomatoes. It will be released on Netflix on December 16 when everyone would be ready to say their goodbyes to Obama, inarguably one of the most adored Presidents of the United States.
