MEDUSA DELUXE |
★★★★★
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2 February 2023
A movie review of MEDUSA DELUXE.
Director: Thomas Hardiman.
Starring: Clare Perkins, Kayla Meikle, Lilit Lesser, Debris Stevenson, Anita-Joy Uwajeh, Kae Alexander, Harriet Webb, Darrell D'Silva, Heider Ali, Nicholas Karimi, Luke Pasqualino.
“Trainee hairdressers don’t survive explosions,” Cleve (Clare Perkins)
A murder-mystery, set at a regional hairdressing competition, made to look like most of the story unfolds in a single take, who is not up for that?! What a first feature film from director Thomas Hardiman! There is a lot of positive talk about GLASS ONION (and to a large degree rightly so), but the top whodunnit flick at the cinema of the last year was MEDUSA DELUXE.
Opening on the camera pulling out of a brush and bottles in a dressing room, the sequence made me think of David Fincher (FIGHT CLUB [1999] and PANIC ROOM [2002]), and that is always a good thing. A hairdresser, Cleve, is chatting a lot. The monologues and conversations are as intricate as the camerawork. The enjoyment of MEDUSA DELUXE is manyfold: Technical prowess, dialogue, performances, and narrative handling. Cleve’s anecdotes are funny. She has a mouth on her, with much effing and blinding. You would not want to be the target of her ire. Cleve’s tongue is sharper than her scissors.
Starring: Clare Perkins, Kayla Meikle, Lilit Lesser, Debris Stevenson, Anita-Joy Uwajeh, Kae Alexander, Harriet Webb, Darrell D'Silva, Heider Ali, Nicholas Karimi, Luke Pasqualino.
“Trainee hairdressers don’t survive explosions,” Cleve (Clare Perkins)
A murder-mystery, set at a regional hairdressing competition, made to look like most of the story unfolds in a single take, who is not up for that?! What a first feature film from director Thomas Hardiman! There is a lot of positive talk about GLASS ONION (and to a large degree rightly so), but the top whodunnit flick at the cinema of the last year was MEDUSA DELUXE.
Opening on the camera pulling out of a brush and bottles in a dressing room, the sequence made me think of David Fincher (FIGHT CLUB [1999] and PANIC ROOM [2002]), and that is always a good thing. A hairdresser, Cleve, is chatting a lot. The monologues and conversations are as intricate as the camerawork. The enjoyment of MEDUSA DELUXE is manyfold: Technical prowess, dialogue, performances, and narrative handling. Cleve’s anecdotes are funny. She has a mouth on her, with much effing and blinding. You would not want to be the target of her ire. Cleve’s tongue is sharper than her scissors.
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For the copious amount of conversation, MEDUSA DELUXE avoids artlessly delivering a narrative dump. Time ticks before we get a handle on the plot. Hairdressers and models are in limbo, backstage at an event, cooling their heels. It is revealed that one of their number has been found dead, a hairdresser scalped. The bitterest of deaths for a hairstylist, surely? The mode has all the hallmarks of vindictiveness. There appears to be a sadistic killer on the loose. No person is leaving the location until the police say so.
Turns out it is not just Cleve, everyone has a gob on them. Audiences will relish being in their forthright company. MEDUSA DELUXE delights, pulsing with excitable energy and charisma. I marvelled at the clever use of resources, an inspiration for all filmmakers. Wait till you get to the ZATOICHI [2003]/WHITE NOISE [2022]/PEACEMAKER [2022]-esque musical coda!
The only negative is the 4:3 aspect ratio. It seems quite fashionable for recent movies, and it is a personal irritant. It creates an annoying claustrophobia. The artistic choice does not utilise the cinema screen. Perhaps it is required here to aid with the technical aspects, and choreography of the cast and crew?
Beyond life and death, there are professional stakes for the characters. The winner receives prestige and an uplift to their business. It is a weird paradox that the more specific a film, the more universal it feels. While we are in the world of fashion, the observations on workplace gossip, rivalries, pettiness, envy, reputations, ambition, perfectionism, friendships, romance, etc. are here made relatable. Niceties are strained (under the circumstances). Being the best at your job and having social skills are often two different things. The latter helps the former to be recognised and rewarded.
MEDUSA DELUXE is a cross between Christopher Guest’s BEST IN SHOW [2000] and Robert Altman’s GOSFORD PARK [2001], and better than both.
