Barber
Directed by Fintan Connolly
Written by Fintan Connolly and Fiona Bergin
Starring: Aidan Gillen, Aisling Kearns, Gary Lydon
Unrated
Runtime: 1 hour, 29 minutes
In theaters and on demand September 22

by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer

Call Barber a soft-boiled detective drama, rather than one those hard-boiled noirs it pays homage to. The film is so subdued at times that one might check director Finton Connolly for a pulse. But this Irish flick is still engaging because it features some topical issues in a familiar framework.

The film has all the staples one would expect from a story about Val, short for Valentine, Barber (Aidan Gillen), a former cop turned private investigator who courts trouble when he looks into the disappearance of a young woman. Barber puts a laconic spin on the genre tropes—for example, the hero gets roughed up, not knocked out, as most screen detectives usually do. Yet this low-key approach does not diminish this glossy film. In fact, it may even cause viewers to lean in more since it is doing something slightly different.

Set during the pandemic—many characters wear masks—Barber opens with Val being visited by Lily Dunne (Deirdre Donnelly), a woman whose granddaughter, Sara, has gone missing. Sara, it is eventually revealed, was 15 when a man masturbated in front of her. The suspect may be a high-ranking politician.

Val Barber, of course, leaves no stone unturned as he investigates. He searches Sara’s room in a silly, contrived sequence that drops a possible clue in his lap. He talks with his former pal on the force, Johnny Mulligan (Gary Lydon) who gives him tips and assistance on the QT. And he tracks down folks who knew Sara, such as her former friend, Jane Devaney (Simone Collins), who provides some key details. Val’s actions, of course, prompt inspector Tony Quinn (Liam Carney) to pressure Val not to stick his nose into things. But of course, like any good fictional private dick, Val does not listen.

However, it is the protagonist’s personal life where the film is most interesting. Val and his ex-wife, Monica (Helen Behan) have a teenage daughter, Kate (Aisling Kearns), who has suffered a brain injury. Kate is struggling to improve. Moreover, because she feels closer to her father, she decides to move in with him. Val, however, has been keeping a secret from Kate; he is bisexual. He left Monica after having an affair with a fellow cop, Eddie Quinn (Steve Wall), and is currently sleeping with Luke (Rúaidhrí Conroy), when the two of them can find time together.

The film uses Val’s sexuality to comment on the way Ireland has changed, which is echoed in the #metoo aspect of the case being investigated. The film is more concerned with making the title character a three-dimensional human, rather than just putting him through the detective genre paces. This is an admirable quality and makes viewers root for Val to succeed.

Aidan Gillen gives a flinty performance, and scenes such as Val reconnecting with Eddie have more tension than the film’s car chases. The relationship between Val and Kate is also quite tender, especially as he repeatedly reassures her when she is depressed or frustrated. The film is not focused on grand seductions by femme fatales, though Lexie Finnegan (Camille O’Sullivan), a singer Val meets, does fit that bill. Gillen also takes a beating with the same dexterity he employs shouting threats to Tony Quinn about police harassment. The actor, getting a plum lead part, invests himself deeply. It will make viewers want more of Barber.

Barber does not reinvent the detective genre. Nor does it feature big thrills or shocking twists. But somehow these qualities are its strengths not a weakness. Connolly’s film works more as a shrewd character study than a tough, cynical thriller, though it is, indeed, both.