(2023, 83 min)
Country: U.S.
Director: Dennis Shinners
Studio: Breaking Glass Pictures
Language: English
SYNOPSIS: A Latino barber in a macho world faces a tough road ahead when he develops an attraction for a handsome stranger during a hot and sweaty New York City summer. Barrio Boy tells the story of Quique (Dennis Garcia), a Nuyorican barber living in a rapidly changing Brooklyn neighborhood who embarks on an erotically charged odyssey of self-discovery. A chance encounter on a basketball court sparks an instant attraction with a handsome Irish stranger named Kevin (James Physick), who is passing through town to settle his late father's affairs. As their friendship blossoms, so do suspicions about the nature of their relationship, especially to the jealous eye of Cuz (Keet Davis), Quique's childhood friend turned local bully. Quique's quest for love and self-acceptance is further realized as he navigates his way through the complex and often messy layers of sexuality, family, friends, race and class.
REVIEW:
It’s a hot and sultry New York summer. Handsome Latinx barber Quique comes from a super macho Brooklyn world where the men are men and barbershops like his are the heterosexual ground zero. But when Quique crosses paths with a handsome visiting Irish stranger, the edges of this world begin to fray for Quique as he becomes tangled in the complexity of balancing two distinct lives. The result is a sexually charged odyssey of self-discovery and inescapable attraction.
This is the long-awaited feature from Dennis Shinners based on the acclaimed short of the same name, and it is definitely worth the wait. As director Shinners confesses, Barrio Boy is “a bittersweet love letter to hookups, breakups, dustups and fuckups.” The charismatic central performances, the rough exciting city setting, and the truly sexy pairing between the male leads makes for a pretty much perfect summer night of heartfelt homoerotic viewing.
-- Reviewed By Irish Film Institute (http://www.ifi.ie)
