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| Medusa Deluxe | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Thomas Hardiman |
| Written by | Thomas Hardiman |
| Produced by | Michael Elliott Lee Groombridge Louise Palmkvist Hansen |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Robbie Ryan |
| Edited by | Fouad Gaber |
| Music by | Koreless |
| Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Mubi |
| Release dates |
|
| Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Medusa Deluxe is a 2022 British murder mystery film written and directed by Thomas Hardiman. It stars Clare Perkins, Anita-Joy Uwajeh, Kae Alexander, Harriet Webb, Darrell D'Silva, Luke Pasqualino and Heider Ali.
Premise
A murder mystery set in a competitive hairdressing contest. Extravagance and excess collide, as the death of a contestant sows seeds of division in a community whose passion for hair verges on obsession.
Cast
- Clare Perkins as Cleve
- Anita-Joy Uwajeh as Timba
- Kayla Meikle as Divine
- Kae Alexander as Inez
- Harriet Webb as Kendra
- Darrell D'Silva as Rene
- Luke Pasqualino as Angel
- Heider Ali as Gac
- Lilit Lesser as Angie
- Nicholas Karimi as Patricio
- Debris Stevenson as Etsy
- John Alan Roberts as Mosca
Release
The film premiered at the Locarno Festival on 6 August 2022. Prior to, Mubi and A24 acquired distribution rights in the United Kingdom, United States, and other territories. It was released in the United Kingdom on 9 June 2023, and was released in the United States on 11 August 2023.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 74% of 65 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "A uniquely stylish whodunit, Medusa Deluxe positions debuting director/co-writer Thomas Hardiman as a talented filmmaker with exciting potential." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 60 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.
Jonathan Romney of Screen Daily called the film a "flamboyant sign-off to a picture that’s about as far you can get from the short-back-and-sides tradition of British realism", and wrote that the "electric performances, from a super-alert, bristling cast", give a "feel of live event to the action, framed in Academy ratio." Jojo Ajisafe of Little White Lies called the film a "fun and extravagant murder mystery that shines a light on the beauty of hairdressing whilst leaving audiences guessing in this quick-witted whodunit."
The New York Times' Jeannette Catsoulis chose the film as one of its "Critic's Picks", hailing an "invigoratingly bold debut" " displaying a flamboyant finesse and a cheeky, can’t-sit-still sensibility". French newspaper Le Monde also praised the film as a "virtuoso debut".
Matthew Joseph Jenner of the International Cinephile Society rated the film 4.5 stars out of 5 and called the film a "masterpiece of carefully controlled chaos and "one of the more impressive directorial debuts of recent years." Marisa Mirabal of IndieWire graded the film a "B-" and called it a "flamboyant and alluring film that leaves audiences guessing until the very end about not only who committed the heinous crime but how exactly Hardiman was able to pull off such a visually delightful feature debut."
Guy Lodge of Variety praised the cinematography and the editing, but wrote that the "kinetic if not-quite-novel presentation doesn’t entirely patch over the weaknesses of Hardiman’s script, with its exhausting whirl of characters more colorful than they are shaded, and plotting that eventually runs out of compelling diversions from the matter at hand."
References
- Dalton, Ben. "Mubi takes key territories for Medusa Deluxe including UK-Ireland and India (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- "Medusa Deluxe (15)". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- Del Don, Muriel (6 July 2022). "Locarno unveils the programmes of its parallel sections". Cineuropa. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- Dalton, Ben (17 May 2022). "Mubi takes key territories for 'Medusa Deluxe' including UK-Ireland and India (exclusive)". Screen International. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
- Bałaga, Marta (7 August 2022). "Hot Seller Locarno Title 'Medusa Deluxe' Closes More Deals for New Europe Film Sales (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
- Roberts, Carl (10 May 2023). "MUBI Releases The New UK Trailer And Artwork For Medusa Deluxe". The Future of the Force. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
- "One Paper" (PDF). A24 Press. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
- "Medusa Deluxe". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- "Medusa Deluxe". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- Romney, Jonathan (8 August 2022). "'Medusa Deluxe': Locarno Review". Screen Daily. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- Ajisafe, Jojo (20 October 2022). "Medusa Deluxe – first-look review". Little White Lies. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- Catsoulis, Jeannette. "'Medusa Deluxe' Review: Curl Up and Die". The New York Times.
- "" Medusa Deluxe ", sur Mubi : le cinéaste Thomas Hardiman fait des débuts virtuoses et délicieusement tirés par les cheveux" (in French). 4 August 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
- Jenner, Matthew Joseph (12 August 2022). "Locarno 2022 review: Medusa Deluxe (Thomas Hardiman)". International Cinephile Society. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- Mirabal, Marisa (29 September 2022). "'Medusa Deluxe' Review: Another Murder Mystery, This One Set at a Lavish Competitive Hairstyling Event". IndieWire. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- Lodge, Guy (7 August 2022). "'Medusa Deluxe' Review: One-Shot Hairdressing Murder Mystery Is an Elaborate, Backcombed Tease". Variety. Retrieved 1 January 2023.