Phuong Le 

Barrio Boy review – Dennis Garcia is a cut above as a closeted Brooklyn barber

Charismatic lead aside, a sketchy script and surfeit of stereotypes blight this tale of a secret gay love affair among New York’s Latino community
  
  

Dennis Garcia in Barrio Boy
Macho front … Dennis Garcia in Barrio Boy. Photograph: Publicity image

The opening scenes of this film, written and directed by Dennis Shinners, have the sensorial feel of a city symphony; the sights and sounds of New York’s Brooklyn are all here. From the gentle chugging of a cargo barge along the East River to the clanking jingle of an ice-cream truck, the rhythm of life in this diverse neighbourhood bursts with vibrancy.

From this panoramic view of the city, Barrio Boy closes in on a hair salon, where Quique (Dennis Garcia) works as a barber. The place is charming: airy, full of light, yet also witnesses the paradoxes that exist in the local Latino community. Quique shares a strong camaraderie with his male peers, but as a closeted gay man is forced to put on a macho front, especially to his homophobic, drug-dealing cousin (Keet Davis). A love affair with Kevin (James Physick), a handsome stranger from Ireland, threatens to send Quique’s life into chaos.

A compelling presence, Garcia lends plenty of charisma to a character that is sorely underwritten. It’s a problem that plagues many films dealing with marginalised identities. Barrio Boy primarily defines Quique through his sexuality crisis, with little insight into his interior life or what draws him to Kevin in the first place. The female characters are also stereotyped, with an overuse of the blonde party girl archetype for comedic effect.

The film was developed from a previous short by Shinners; perhaps the script is just too stretched over a feature-length runtime. In spite of these drawbacks, the sizzling chemistry between Garcia and Physick is enough to light up the screen. It is a shame, therefore, that their shared moments, which could have been the emotional backbone of the film, so often seem rushed.

• Barrio Boy is on digital platforms from 17 February.

 

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