Jun Robles, a Filipino filmmaker, recounts the narrative of a rural female barber's liberation

during the 1970s under Ferdinand Marcos' dictatorship, emphasizing the interplay between

politics and personal relationships. Although the primary focus is on the political aspect

involving rebels opposing the military and Mayor Alfredo Bartolome's corruption, the Martial

Law component has not been thoroughly explored to cater to other viewers. The issue of

discrimination carries a backseat to the risk of aligning with insurgents, and a significant

domestic concern for women is skillfully deflected by the concealment of a crucial incident.

Given that the film is a periodic piece, historical events are merely portrayed and cannot be

altered.

During the Marcos regime, Barber's Tale chronicled the life of Marilou, a lady living in a small

community with her barber husband Jose: Marilou had intended to move to Manila after Jose

passed away peacefully in his sleep, but Father Arturo, her parish priest, and her friends

persuaded her to stay. Having picked up hair-cutting skills from her husband, Marilou decided to

carry on his barbering company, beginning with Father Arturo's haircut. As her reputation

increases, she is asked to trim the dishonest Mayor Bartolome's hair in the community, where she

befriends Cecilia, the abused man's wife.

After being hurt in a confrontation with soldiers, Marilou's godson Edmond and his injured

friend Renan seek refuge in Marilou's home one night, identifying themselves as rebels from the

New People's Army. Reluctantly caring for Renan, Marilou goes to find his sister, Rosa, a

prostitute at his request. Rosa persuades her clientele to get their hair trimmed at Marilou's

barbershop, feeling thankful for the opportunity to see Renan again and for Marilou's assistance

in helping him escape.

Marilou tries to talk Edmond out of joining the guerrillas, but when Father Arturo is slain by

soldiers followed by a solitary Cecilia going to him for confession and is wrongly accused by

Mayor Bartolome of being a rebel himself, she starts to sympathize with them.

Later, Edmond was hurt by a failed ambush that resulted in Renan's death. Edmond turns to Rosa

for assistance, and Rosa secretly drives him to Marilou's store. However, the following day,

while Edmond is fleeing a military attack, Marilou's clients spot him, and this causes Marilou to

be shunned by the village and accused of being a rebel. A few days later, Cecilia begs Marilou to

go with her to a cliff overlooking a river, where she confides in Bartolome, who has betrayed her,

about her approaching separation from him and her frustration at not being able to have children.

To Marilou's surprise, she kisses her and jumps to her death off the cliff, wishing she meets a

bold person like Marilou sooner in her life.

Mayor Bartolome, the only person who saw Cecilia die, put pressure on Marilou to keep quiet

about what happened, leading him to tell the public that a rebel ambush killed Cecilia. He asks

Marilou to trim her hair for Cecilia's burial, but Marilou kills him with a razor because she is

angry with him for being insensitive to her. Marilou chops her hair short as she runs to her shop

and hides it. During a religious procession, her companions helped her flee the town by cutting

their hair short to the fool soldiers searching for her.

In an epilogue, Susan, Marilou's friend, discusses how, following Mayor Bartolome's passing,

Marilou vanished from sight and how ideas regarding her whereabouts have since been

proposed. Later footage shows Marilou enlisting the New People's Army, adopting the alias Luz

in honor of Cecilia's hypothetical kid.

"Barber's Tales" highlights the significance of sisterhood. Tess, a middle-aged single woman who

typically serves as a source of wise counseling for married individuals, offers Marilou vital

support. Nevertheless, when her nephew chose to engage in rebellion against the government,

her equilibrium was disrupted.

Barber's Tales exhibits a traditional aesthetic and a narrative that heavily relies on coincidences.

For instance, Jose's favorite prostitute was actually the sister of rebel fighter Marilou, who

played a pivotal role in the reconciliation of her mistress and husband during an incident.

The film, Barber's Tales, provides a clear indication of what is to come, as Susan's voiceover at

the end of the movie recounts Marilou's subsequent whereabouts after leaving the village. The

many realities that Filipino women will face in the coming years are portrayed through

conjectures about Marilou's life, ranging from the possibility that she went insane to the

likelihood that she would become a domestic worker. Despite the hopeful ending given to her

character by Lana, it is possible that Barber's Tales will continue to thrive, as Marilou and her

sisters remain optimistic and continue to seek out good in life.