Precious Hair & Beauty
2021 · 11m · UK
Directed by John Ogunmuyiwa
Genres: comedy, drama, surrealism
Tones: contemplative, humorous, surreal, tender
An ode to the mundanity and magic of the high street, told from inside a West African hair salon on a bustling London street. Using a near-static fixed shot from the back of the shop, the film watches two proprietresses at work while a procession of neighborhood characters drift in and past the front window.
Picked by Felix
The scouts
A static back-of-salon wide, a Sundance selection, a brief sci-fi insertion — this is the kind of formal patience that actually earns the word "observational." Ogunmuyiwa has a real eye.
Ogunmuyiwa's rigorously formal conceit — an entire community's life refracted through a salon window — situates itself squarely in the tradition of durational observational cinema while remaining unmistakably rooted in a specific, living place.
Sustaining a near-static fixed wide from the back of a West African salon for most of 11 minutes, mostly wordless, with a surreal sci-fi beat smuggled in — Ogunmuyiwa is doing real formal work here, and BIFA + Sundance Special Commendation tracks. The window-as-frame structure makes the high street the protagonist.
Reviews
An inventive and surprising portrait of an eclectic community... expertly encapsulates tragedy, drama, comedy, and even a touch of science fiction, transcending its ostensibly straightforward premise to emerge as a truly enchanting and magical cinematic experience.
A witty and energetic snapshot of an odd day at a Black hairdressers, with observant commentary on the changing landscape of London communities.
Festivals
- BFI London Film Festival 2021
- Sundance Film Festival 2022