Barber's Tales

Barber's Tales

There’s a quiet bite to the title Barber’s Tales. In English, it sounds like stories shared at a barbershop, a bit gossipy. But in Filipino, “Kuwentong Barbero” means something else entirely: a made up story. Something exaggerated, possibly untrue. And yet the irony is this film is anything but made up. Barber’s Tales is not fiction in the way kuwentong barbero implies, but an articulation of reality. A mirror held up to the lives of women during Martial Law, particularly those far from Manila, far from the marches and rallies but caught in the system (Cela, 2025). The story follows Marilou, a middle-aged housewife of the town barber, Jose. She lives a mundane yet melancholic life; the conventional patriarchal household i.e. serving her husband, minding her business, staying in her lane. However, things take a turn when her husband suddenly dies. This unexpected event marked a significant change in her life filled with resistance, uncomfortableness and freedom.

A Feminist lens can be used upon seeing the film. First, the story highlights multiple stories of women throughout the film, not only Marilou’s but other women in the film. First, Marilou’s unconventional path to being a barber turned NPA already challenges the rigid gender roles imposed upon her. The life of Marilou depicts a stereotypical heteronormative life wherein she encounters multiple abuses of her own husband Jose, who constantly mandates her in doing the chores down to bathing him—patriarchal household at its finest. Jose sees Marilou not as a human but rather as a means to his end, an extension of his comfort and ego. Her labor inside the house is unpaid, unrecognized, and expected. When she takes over the barbershop, the townspeople doubt her capability simply because she is a woman. The scissors and razor, tools traditionally associated with masculinity, become symbols of her quiet rebellion. Ultimately, she realizes that her power lies within her and decides to fight against the oppressive regime of the Marcos’. Her personal liberation parallels her political awakening; the domestic becomes political.

Second, Susan’s constant struggle against her bodily autonomy shows how women’s bodies are treated as property—by men, by institutions, and even by gossip. Her vulnerability is not accidental but systemic. Third, Tess’ challenge as an old maid in a heteronormative lifestyle reveals how society reduces a woman’s worth to her marital status. Lastly, Cecilia’s battle against her husband’s physical abuse—ultimately killing herself—becomes one of the most painful commentaries in the film. Her death is not just personal tragedy but evidence of how normalized violence against women has become. These stories aren’t isolated cases but rather intersectional of the struggles they face in a patriarchal society. The film suggests that oppression does not happen in fragments; it is woven into everyday life.

In a Marxist lens, the film further exposes the power dynamics between the upper class and the working class. The abuse of Mayor Alfredo’s power to suppress the people from revolting against oppression reflects how the ruling class maintains control through fear and manipulation. The mayor represents the local face of a larger authoritarian regime, benefiting from the silence of the masses. Similarly, Jose has authority over Marilou, demanding her to cook and bathe him, mirroring the structure of dominance seen in the state. The household becomes a miniature version of the dictatorship—one commands, the other obeys.

Violence is portrayed as a tool to silence freedom of rights, evident in the killing of Fr. Arturo, whose death signals the danger of speaking against injustice. The regime during 1975 is not shown through grand political speeches but through the lived experiences of ordinary people especially women. Economic hardship, fear, and censorship shape their realities. The working class is left with limited choices: comply or resist. Through Marilou’s transformation, the film suggests that resistance, no matter how small, disrupts the system. In the end, Barber’s Tales becomes both a feminist and Marxist text—revealing that the struggle against patriarchy is inseparable from the struggle against class oppression.