“All I wanna do is cut hair, and they keep dropping.” A24 has a knack for finding a lot of strange and weird films, and the new film, “Medusa Deluxe,” definitely fits that bill. A British murder mystery set in a competitive hairdressing contest, the film is the feature-length directorial debut of Thomas Hardiman, known for shorts like “Pitch Black Panacea” (2020) and “Time on My Hands” (2012). In the film, extravagance and excess collide, as the death of a contestant sows seeds of division in a community.
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“Medusa Deluxe” premiered at the Locarno Festival in August of 2022. Prior to this, Mubi and A24 acquired distribution rights in the United Kingdom, United States, and other territories (A24 for North America).
The film has a big cast that includes U.K. stars like Anita-Joy Uwajeh, Clare Perksins, Darrell D’Silva, Debris Stevenson, Harriet Webb, Heider Ali, Kae Alexander, Kayla Meikle, Lilit Lesser, Luke Pasqualino, and Nicholas Karimi.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Talented, ambitious, and backstabbing hairstylists gather for a competition in England, only to find one of their own murdered before judging can begin. Winding through neon-lit halls and backstage dressing rooms, competitors unspool long-simmering resentments and secrets as they search for the killer among them in this devilishly funny whodunit from debut filmmaker Thomas Hardiman.
The film looks absolutely fabulous, too, and one should note that’s probably in large part to cinematographer Robbie Ryan—known for working with Andrea Arnold and Yorgos Lanthimos on films like “Fish Tank” (2009), “Slow West” (2015), “American Honey” (2016) and “The Favourite” —who lensed the film.
“Medusa Deluxe” opens in select theaters and on VOD on August 11 via A24. Watch the first trailer below.
