Critical popcorn

For reasons unknown, unexpected films that have the vibe of this one, Medusa Deluxe, truly inspire and entertain me more than most. The likes of Extra Ordinary, 12 Hour Shift, Jumbo, Intelligent Life all manoeuvre themselves into the strange, different and inventive world, and now MUBI are offering up the trailer for writer/director Thomas Hardiman’s debut feature, and you need to see it!

Opening theatrically in the UK and Ireland on 9 June, and streaming exclusively on MUBI from 4 August, this crazy murder mystery revolves around the obsessive world of hairdressing, and after a stylist is found dead, the remaining competitors try to uncover the killer over the course of an evening, but during the evening itself, the remaining contestants suspect that someone may be trying to rig the competition, by gruesomely picking off its entrants….

With a dynamic cast that includes Clare Perkins, Kae Alexander, Harriet Webb, Darrell D’Silva, and Luke Pasqualino, get this into your brain now, I actually promise you’ll love it:

Medusa Deluxe features stunning cinematography by Robbie Ryan (The Favourite, American Honey), whose restless, uncannily stable camera drifts from scene to scene, through a maze of backstage rooms, waiting areas, theatre spaces and car parks. The dazzling and cutting-edge hair designs are from renowned stylist Eugene Souleiman and hair and make-up designer Scarlett O’Connell, whose work won the film Best Make-up and Hair Design at the British Independent Film Awards 2022. The electronic score is by Koreless. Nominated for Debut Director and Best Production Design at the British Independent Film Awards last year, this vivacious and absurdly comic ensemble drama will keep audiences in suspense until the end.

Medusa Deluxe opens in the UK and Ireland on 9 June, and streaming exclusively on MUBI from 4 August: https://mubi.com