Barrio Boy (2014)
Director: Dennis Shinners
Writers: Dennis Shinners
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Short, Short Movie
Country: USA
Language: English
Duration: 8 min
Year: 2014
Stars: Andrew Flores, Dennis Garcia, Dan Leonard, Peter Olivera
It’s a hot and sweaty summer afternoon in a macho Brooklyn hood and while cutting the hair of a handsome Irish stranger, a Latino barber secretly falls in love.
Dave says:
Straight to the world and certainly to the clientele where he works as a barber, this perceptive short film focuses on the life of Quique; a muscular Latino who cuts hair for the boys in the hood. Only whilst his hands trim and style, his mind strays onto manly matters, a voiceover styled delivery that speaks his true feelings when a cute Irishman comes calling – for a haircut, that is. Or perhaps more?
Well-played throughout, even if its promotional poster bears no relation to those featured in the cast, this short nevertheless has a lot going for it, to the point that a feature length version is in the making. And certainly it will be interesting to see how the narrative is developed, given this is but an acute commentary on life in the closet, as we witness a man who yearns for same-sex intimacy, if not love itself, only to be held in a sexual straight jacket by way of the macho culture of the hood.
It’s a scenario that sadly mirrors real life for all too many, gay men who like Quique here cannot help but come into daily contact with other men and yet by way of social conformity must hide their true feelings. That the voiceover perfectly captures the aching inner longing for same-sex affection is to the credit of writer and director Dennis Shinners of Area X fame. Need more be said?
Source: http://www.gaycelluloid.com/
