Kinky, curly, afro-centric hair and bad hair are not synonymous, but obviously complicated topics, not only in Black culture, but Black and BIPOC filmmaking too, especially on a society that seems to favor straight hair. Chris Rock made an entire documentary about it, “Good Hair,” which explored the explores the wonders of African-American hairstyles, but also the obsession with natural vs. straight hair. And there’s also been Mariana Rondón’s “Pelo Malo” (“Bad Hair”), a South American take on the straight vs. kinky hair debate that people of color have grappled with for ages. The latest filmmaker entering the fray is writer/director Justin Simien with a horror satire called “Bad Hair.”
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“Bad Hair” debuted at Sundance earlier this year and stars Elle Lorraine, Kelly Rowland, Vanessa Williams, Jay Pharoah, Lena Waithe, Blair Underwood, and Laverne Cox. And it’s essentially about a killer weave with a mind of its own. “It’s a psychological social thriller that is a commentary on the American experience and the kind of quiet little deaths we all have to endure to advance and be seen by mainstream society,” Simien told EW earlier in the year.
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Simien is no stranger to Sundance nor films interrogating the preoccupations of Black culture. He broke out in 2014 with the Sundance comedy “Dear White People,” spun that off into a successful and not-at-all redundant Netflix series of the same name but hasn’t had a lot of time to exist outside of that franchise. While “Dear White People” still airs on Netflix, it’s rumored to be winding down and Simien finally found an opportunity to work outside of that brand with “Bad Hair.” Here’s the official synopsis:
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In this horror satire set in 1989, Bad Hair follows an ambitious young woman who gets a weave in order to succeed in the image-obsessed world of music television. However, her flourishing career comes at a great cost when she realizes that her new hair may have a mind of its own.
Sometimes we have to go back to our roots, the clever tag line reads. “Bad Hair” arrives on October 23 on Hulu. Watch the first teaser trailer below.