‘Barber’ Review – A Thriller Without The Thrills But With A Stunning Lead

This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the film being covered here wouldn’t exist.

Ireland has established itself as a significant player in the industry with films such as The Quiet Girl, In Bruges, The Black Guelph and last year’s The Banshees of Inisherin. Those movies show us the immense, creative talent the country has to offer. Each feature shines in its emotions, tranquility, and humanness. Now comes Barber, another compelling, mysterious feature with a fascinating lead performance, or, at least, it could have been.

Director/co-writer Fintan Conolly (Eliot & Me) and writer Fiona Bergin (Eliot & Me) give it their best shot at making Barber a captivating drama. Set in Dublin during the height of the COVID-19 restrictions, the film follows private investigator, Val Barber (Aidan Gillen). After divorcing his wife, coming out as bisexual, and not having massive success professionally, he’s struggling to keep his head above water. Therefore, he forcefully takes on ‘low-level’ cases, such as minor insurance fraud.

His fiscal and professional luck is about to change when the wealthy widow Lily Dunne (Deirdre Donnelly) knocks on his door. She asks him to investigate what happened to her missing granddaughter, Sara (Isabelle Connolly). Barber’s initial investigation soon takes him to dark places because of the many secrets surfacing, his day drinking, and having to deal with his (maybe) politically incorrect colleagues. His research turns pitch-black when he discovers that the missing young woman was caught up in the criminal underbelly of corruption, mystery, and powerful men.

In a mystery thriller like this movie, suspense and intrigue would typically be critical, but that’s not the case here. While watching this feature, it becomes clear that Connolly has turned it more into a character drama than a mystery. That is both a curse and a blessing for Barber

Making the characters and their emotions the centre of your work allows a great actor like Gillen to excel. Instead of portraying a sleazy, manipulative, and scumbag-like villain a la Little Finger in Game of Thrones, Aberama Gold in Peaky Blinders or Tommy Carcetti in The Wire, we now see Gillen as the main protagonist. While this is a drastic change, his acting still stays the same: fascinating and brilliant. Gillen gives his character plenty of nuances and personality, and when the P.I. starts to struggle with his inner demons, that’s when Gillen’s performance becomes even more multilayered. Despite the many flaws in Barber’s life, such as the cheating on his wife, it’s hard not to instantly like this unusual protagonist.

Most of the P.I.’s we see in films and series, for that matter, are pretty one-dimensional as they live for their work. Here we get to know our P.I. on a much more personal and emotional level, even more so during the conversation about how Barber’s sexuality impacts his personal and professional life. While many supporting cast members try to reach that same class level, only a few succeed. The only one coming close to Gillen is Aisling Kearns (Outside), portraying Barber’s daughter. Her performance shines brightly, and every moment she has with her on-screen father is pitch-perfect.

 

Because Conolly focuses too much on the characters, he seems to forget the mystery side of this thriller. The director uses a realistic approach with many stake-outs, chases, interrogations, etc., but the plot isn’t puzzling or head-scratching enough. Normally, the mystery of a missing girl should draw you in instantly, but not this time. Many twists and turns prove to be predictable, and even the interrogation scenes are a bit unsatisfying. While the dialogue between Barber and his daughter is on point, his talks with the suspects are bizarre. The moodily lit, beautiful cinematography by DP Owen McPolin (Vikings) and the pandemic restrictions, such as masks and social distancing, add a timely, dark element. Still, sadly, that’s not enough to keep the mystery going.

Yes, Dublin looks stunning, and the cast and crew found a creative way to handle COVID and time and budgetary restrictions, but the execution isn’t 100% there. Barber might not have the thrills a thriller needs, but it certainly has a stunning lead performance by Gillen.

Barber is currently playing in select theaters and available On Demand courtesy of Brainstorm Media

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63FMPWRkcjk]