How Barry director Vikram Gandhi transforms Obama's story into a universal tale

Director Vikram Gandhi had no interest in making a film about Barack Obama, the historical figure we all know today — he wanted to tell a universal story.

Gandhi's latest project, Barry (which will be available on Netflix this Friday, Dec. 16), uses the story of the current U.S. President to expand on bigger themes of race, identity and America.

"This man went through a personal struggle that so many young people now are going through," Gandhi explains, of his film's subject, a young Obama attending college in New York City. "Somebody with a mixed background, global citizens, people who are sort of the future of American in a lot of ways. I think it's important that the story embodies that." 

Barry focuses on the theme of figuring out who you are and how you fit in society and it's an important message to send out now, more than ever, to audiences across the country.

"This multicultural element of America has become something that's politicized and questioned," Gandhi argues. "I think that there's a lot to do with [Obama's] identity that is a symbol of what American stands for."