Despite giving a vital service, the world of hairdressing has always had an untapped potential for film. Whilst many others have been blind, first-time feature writer and director Thomas Hardiman demonstrates its latent power for compelling story-telling by transposing the occupation to a murder-mystery setting. Set within the cutthroat world of competitive hairdressing, Medusa Deluxe begins in the aftermath of a murderous scalping. As the competitors and their models digest the news, thoughts turn to who could have perpetrated such violence. As rivalries and mistrust build, the group set out to find the guilty party, no matter the cost.
There are several elements at work to make Medusa Deluxe magical. First are the incredible performances from the diverse cast of characters. Hardiman opts for long takes and thus the acting team have had to channel their inner theatre star to maintain the audience’s attention in each and every scene. Not only are the scenes themselves long, the script is wordy. Characters regularly spout off massive monologues of dialogue that, thanks to the performers, feel completely organic and as if being uttered for the first time. The whole cast’s ability to deliver Hardiman’s tightly written script with an air of realistic streams of consciousness is what hooks the viewer and helps sell the story as a whole.
The second wondrous component is the way that Hardiman and his formidable cinematographer Robbie Ryan move the camera. Whilst the story of Medusa Deluxe is static, set within the walls and grounds of the competition venue, the camera is always moving. Throughout the course of the film the camera moves fluidly from character to characters, giving the viewer a rounded look at all the key players, but also the location in which they reside. The camerawork has been as meticulously planned as ballet and generates a perfect single-take fake-out. Though filmed in several long takes, Medusa Deluxe looks as though it was all done in one, the trick benefiting the validity of the ‘over one night’ narrative.
Ryan’s beautiful composition highlights the most mesmeric ingredient to Medusa Deluxe, the hair styles. The story is set within a hairdressing competition and so the hair pieces on display have to sell that. Simple buns and braids would not cut it; Medusa Deluxe is instead filled with extravagant creations from Eugene Souleiman. Each model has been expertly styled in a different way to articulate each hairdresser’s own sense of identity. Everywhere the camera turns waits another breathtaking realisation of avant-garde high-concept hair art.
The final key flourish to Medusa Deluxe is that it turns the murder mystery on its head. Most rely on the hard-work of law enforcement to unpick the riddle, but the police are kept in the background here. Hardiman knows that the audience are well-versed in this popular type of story and therefore places them in the position of all-seeing cunning detective. It is left to the viewer alone to piece together the information gleaned from all of the gossip and conversations to work out the perpetrator. By placing the viewer as an active participant it allows for a more engaging viewing experience, creating the same sense of fun usually isolated to murder mystery dinners and the like.
Medusa Deluxe makes waves on many fronts, presenting Thomas Hardiman as one of several vibrant members of the future of British cinema. A murder-mystery unravelled in spectacular fashion, Medusa Deluxe is an exquisitely composed, meticulously performed, modern feat of ingenuity.
Medusa Deluxe
Summary
A murder-mystery story told like no other, Medusa Deluxe is a perfectly coiffed feature debut.
Medusa Deluxe arrives in UK cinemas on Friday 9th June.
