Medusa Deluxe

Available on Mubi now

Thomas Hardiman’s debut feature is impressively daring, with its unique premise (a whodunit set amidst a highly competitive hairdressing contest) and engrossing single shot approach distinguishing it from many of this year’s other independent releases.

Hardiman certainly benefits from the input of the prodigiously talented cinematographer Robbie Ryan, whose previous collaborators include Andrea Arnold, Ken Loach, and Yorgos Lanthimos (to name but a few). Together, they craft a compelling aesthetic which is befitting of the low-level glamour that is synonymous with the professional world in which Medusa Deluxe is set.

The film’s understated cast also do some stellar work over the course of the film’s modest run-time, with Clare Perkins particularly standing out in her role as possibly the world’s angriest hairdresser. Meanwhile, Koreless’ score - which oscillates between being pulsating and scarcely noticeable - is in keeping with the murder mystery that lies at the heart of the film’s events.

Alas, Hardiman’s self-penned screenplay struggles to build on the promise of its opening salvo, arguably suffering from a claustrophobic setting which limits its characters’ actions to a series of hushed and/or heated conversations. This is frustrating as Medusa Deluxe could most definitely be a greater film than it is, with its ending feeling mightily underwhelming and out-of-sorts with the events which precede it.

Nonetheless, there is plenty of promise in Hardiman’s debut, enough to suggest that his future work is worth keeping an eye out for.