"Barry": A Portrait of Barack Obama

As Barack Obama prepares to leave office after eight years, publics can look back on his formative years with a new biopic, Barry. The film originally premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, with biracial Australian actor Devon Terrell in the title role and Indian-American director Vikram Gandhi at the helm.

It follows Obama in 1981, detailing his life as a 20-year-old junior at Columbia University who felt stuck between the black and white worlds of his parents, as well as singled out in a racially-charged environment in America. At the core of the film is a message about America's pluralism, simultaneously a source of strength and a source of conflict. "From run-ins with campus police to trying to fit in on basketball courts in Harlem, it aims to show how that dichotomy shaped Obama into the man he is today." It's a message that remains relevant for those in America struggling to find their place in the melting pot, and for foreign audiences looking in at an ever-changing country.

The full film will be available on Netflix December 16th, but you can view the trailer here.