In “Medusa Deluxe,” the snakes are not in the hair, but all around it: a writhing and writhing group of human predators roam around the various parlors and platforms of a high-profile hairdressing competition. Most of them are poisonous, and at least one of them is deadly, or so it goes when a fashion designer is found, not just murdered, but literally upside down, the night before his widely expected victory in the competition. This is the setting for British writer and director Thomas Hardiman’s debut film, Medusa Deluxe, a gossip-fueled slasher murder mystery that takes more pleasure in bringing together many unusual suspects than any kind of logical and procedural investigative action: Whodunnit Not a burning question in a movie where everyone is 100% that bitch.
It looks good on paper, and it looks great on screen, thanks in large part to genius DP Robbie Ryan – who, after collaborating heavily with the likes of Andrea Arnold and Yorgos Lanthimos, was finally able to add a one-off movie to his résumé. At least, that’s how “Medusa Deluxe” is presented, with assorted swaying and woven Steadicam shots artfully pasted over by editor Fouad Gaber to suggest turbulent, uninterrupted motion, akin to Birdman’s hilarious, floppy stunt than the brave immersion’ boiling point. ” last year. However, this kinetic presentation, if not entirely new, does not fully address the weaknesses of Hardiman’s text, with the swirl of cumbersome characters being more colorful than shaded, and the layout ultimately ending in disguised deviations from the issue at hand.
That won’t stop this lively, lively dessert from satisfying more festival crowds after its premiere in Locarno’s public Piazza Grande strand, while it’s easy to see why distributors already got a Hardiman calling card, with A24 getting the North American rights and Moby takes a wave of global lands. They might find this star-studded, sentimental issue more difficult to sell outside of the festival circuit, but it makes sense to go on the ground floor with Hardiman, whose penchant for salty dialogue and bragging distinguishes him from many of Britain’s newcomers, and could conceivably be used for more commercial use in projects future.
“Medusa Deluxe” has its luster from the jump, kicking off a digital animated intro that navigates stunningly through a surreal wilderness of skyscraper-sized hair products and tools, before Ryan’s mobile camera picks up the wand and keeps her pace. We introduced rival salon owners Cliff (Claire Perkins, the premium MPM group, formerly on UK soap “EastEnders”) and Devine (Kayla Mickley), who were loveless, laden with insults back and forth. Practicing their cute, quirky creations sets the tone for the speech for the next ninety minutes. Cliff, in particular, publishes a rare avalanche of community history that includes former friends, enemies, and co-workers, with a memorable conclusion: “Trained hairdressers don’t survive an explosion of cars.”
Any intrigue about this is set aside, however, when news reaches them that competition favorite Mosca has been found dead in the pool, flesh ripped from his supposedly well-preserved scalp. The messenger is Rene (Daryl de Silva), the event’s organizer, in a smart, lace-up shirt, who just so happens to be a former lover of the deceased. His successor in Mosca’s affections, the Angel of the High Camp (Luke Pasqualino), quickly arrives on the scene, sobbing and sobbing brilliantly, with the couple’s little baby—the least boisterous presence here in the distance—in tow.
Other players in the wild game of Clue include this boisterous blonde Kendra (Harriet Webb), whose air of bull-free, close-to-all, prevailing animosity pierces a host of unsettling gossip-dispensing archetypes, and glistening security guard Gac (Heider Ali), who might hold Or does he hold some unsavory secret about the dead man – whose shaved dome could not distinguish him more clearly as an unwelcome stranger in this world. Performances within the band range from entertaining to excessive hysteria, with little motivation to find a real, raw character under a flurry of attitudes and behaviour.
Medusa Deluxe makes no apologies for its reliance on big, roomy stereotypes as it does with many of the ornate designs it lovingly displays – a particularly luxurious bouquet is due to Wella hairstylist and creative director Eugene Soliman, whose compelling editorial creations This low-budget establishment lends a much-needed spirit of haute couture authenticity. But after a while, the combination of abrasive, impenetrable characters and hopelessly intertwined shaggy dog storytelling begins to fade, and viewers might want a simpler approach.
Any and all payoffs arrive via the film’s official brio, as Ryan’s camera continues to relentlessly zip through the chaos, assuming and switching fluorescent color schemes hot like many discarded garments, all in time to the sparse and flickering score of British electric artist Koreless. Just when you’d expect filmmaking to totally rock out, however, Hardiman unexpectedly cuts in, choosing a curtain with a great feel and a disco soundtrack that owes more to “Mamma Mia!” From the film’s previous influences, covering early Almodovar, Altman, Sally Potter and a dash of British television, Tea Time. Whether or not these characters have earned such indulgence: In the mirror-strewn world of “Medusa Deluxe”, almost everyone is the star of their own melodrama, and is designed accordingly.
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