Barber

Barber is a postmodernist Irish thriller. The film's noir elements are evident in its portrayal of Dublin as a dark and foreboding city, where danger lurks around every corner. The city is depicted as a labyrinthine space, where characters are trapped in their own desires and fears. The use of shadows and chiaroscuro lighting creates an atmosphere of unease and tension, adding to the overall sense of dread.

Val Barber is a classic noir protagonist, a flawed hero struggling with his own demons. His search for the missing girl becomes an obsession, as he becomes increasingly entangled in a web of deceit.

The film's plot twists and turns, revealing new layers of deception and intrigue that will leave viewers questioning everyone's motives.

The film's postmodernist elements are evident in its use of intertextuality and self-reflexivity. The film references other works of art, such as literature and cinema, blurring the boundaries between reality and fiction. The film also comments on its own status as a work of art, drawing attention to its own construction.

The Lacanian psychoanalytic perspective offers an interesting lens through which to view the film. The film's portrayal of Dublin as a labyrinthine space can be seen as a metaphor for the psyche. Val Barber's search for the missing girl can be seen as a quest for self-knowledge, as he confronts his own desires and fears.

Overall, Barber is a complex and thought-provoking film that rewards multiple viewings. Its blend of noir elements and postmodernist techniques creates an atmosphere of unease and tension that will leave viewers on edge. Its exploration of the psyche through a Lacanian lens adds another layer of depth to an already richly layered film.

Just disappointing from start to finish. It failed to capture, failed to take off. At no point does it ever feel captivating or progressing. The writing is poor and some of the scenes it creates are cringe at best. I'm all for Irish films, but the story in this lasts little in the memory. Though the film was just 90 minutes or so, I honestly felt like it was much longer due to how slowly it moved and how lacking the scenes were of interesting dialogue. Overall, i was hoping for the best, but some of the casting was questionable - but even so, the script content never really had much hope. I would recommend avoiding.

Deidrie Donnelly hires Private Detective Val Barber to find her missing granddaughter. Barber, an excellent Policeman finds bus progress blocked at every corner, his investigations lead him to covers up and sexual exploitation.

It's a decent film, a good storyline with good actors and some interesting characters. It's a little old fashioned in some ways, it's the kind of thing I could have imagined being out out in 2004, shock gay Detective comes out etc. It's still worth a look however.

Aiden Gillen is excellent as always, he's one of those actors who seems to add a little something, he has a bit of swagger, he's a bit cocky, but he's very talented.

Quinn was a bit of a stereotype, my only gripe I guess, in this day or CCTV and cameras everywhere, I found it hard to imagine an experienced Detective would behave publicly in such a way.

Decent enough.

6/10.

In Irish crime drama "Barber" Aiden Gillen (likeable as ever as he channels Richard Gere) is a grizzled ex-police private dick who's hired by Diedre Donnelly to track down her missing granddaughter, which leads him into a relatively simple #metoo related case with classic elements like a dodgy politician, corrupt police (Liam Carney) & a powerful bullying stepfather (David Herlihy). Meanwhile Gillen has his own issues to deal with, as society (Dublin's in particular) changes around him. It's sluggish, tv-standard fare but Gillan and its interesting broad subject matter (from writers Fintan Connolly (who also directed) & Fiona Bergin) make it passable enough.

The film feels like a car collision. There is the noir feeling of it, the grizzled ex-cop private eye, the Irish accent, the dark pool of Dublin streets and police corruption. And then there is the gay cop/husband/father drama, the #metoo story of underage girls masturbated at, the young daughter disabled by a motorcycle accident, the rigorous mask wearing. The thing is, this could have worked, but instead it felt like two discordant notes clashing. And the worst part of it all is the ending, the ridiculous "twist", if one can call it that, of which I don't want to talk for fear of spoiling the chance that you would enjoy it, but which kind of invalidates any good will one might have had toward the victims or any measure of competence you would have assigned to the main character.

I like Aidan Gillen, not just as Littlefinger, because I've seen him in a lot of things, doing good work, so that elevated the film a little. But without his charisma, this is a weird film to be watching, it feels like a whiny generation production where people go to the police for seeing a schlong and bullies are fighting back by slapping people and talking badly about gay rights. It was like a noir policier movie for kindergarten kids. The tension was there, but it just felt totally weird and delusional, like written by a teen on a phone.

Bottom line: a social justice agenda driven film that somehow didn't feel offensive, just endearing, like watching a little dog trying to trick you he didn't bite your shoes. Had potential, it went nowhere.