''Medusa Deluxe'' is a 2022 British

murder mystery Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a profession ...

film written and directed by Thomas Hardiman. It stars

Clare Perkins Clare Perkins is an English actress, known for her roles as Denise Boulter in ''Family Affairs'' and Ava Hartman in ''EastEnders''. Career TV Perkins' first role was as Opal in the 1991 TV film ''Hallelujah Anyhow'' in the ''Screen Two ...

, Anita-Joy Uwajeh,

Kae Alexander Kae Yukawa (born 31 August 1985), known professionally as Kae Alexander, is a Japanese actress. She gained prominence through her role as Jing Hua in '' Bad Education'' and its spinoff film. She played Leaf in the sixth season of ''Game of Thro ...

, Harriet Webb,

Darrell D'Silva Darrell Fitzgerald D'Silva is a British actor, best known for his role as Hendrik Davie in ITV series ''Van der Valk (2020 TV series), Van der Valk'' and notable for his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Early life and education Darrel ...

Luke Pasqualino Luca Giuseppe Pasqualino (born 19 February 1990) is a British actor. He is best known for portraying Freddie McClair in the television series '' Skins'' (2009–2010), d'Artagnan in the television series '' The Musketeers'' (2014–2016) and ...

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

as Cleve * Anita-Joy Uwajeh as Timba * Kayla Meikle as Divine *

as Inez * Harriet Webb as Kendra *

as Rene *

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 The Locarno International Film Festival is a major international film festival, held annually in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narr ...

on 6 August 2022. Prior to,

Mubi Mubi (; stylized as MUBI; the Auteurs before 2010) is a global streaming platform, production company and film distributor. MUBI produces and theatrically distributes films by emerging and established filmmakers, which are exclusively available ...

and

A24 A24 Films LLC, commonly referred to as A24, is an American Privately held company, independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution. The studio is based in Manhattan. The company ...

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

Jonathan Romney of ''

Screen Daily ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company which also owned '' Broadcast''. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involv ...

'' 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 ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''' 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 (; ) is a mass media in France, French daily afternoon list of newspapers in France, newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average print circulation, circulation of 480,000 copies per issue in 2022, including ...

'' also praised the film as a "virtuoso debut". Matthew Joseph Jenner of the ''

International Cinephile Society The International Cinephile Society is an online organization of professional film critics and journalists worldwide. It was founded in 2003 and, has approximately 170 members—among them are Mike D'Angelo, Justin Chang (''Los Angeles Times'') ...

'' 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 Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' 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

External links

* * {{rotten-tomatoes, medusa_deluxe, Medusa Deluxe 2020s British films 2020s English-language films 2020s mystery thriller films 2022 films 2022 LGBTQ-related films British LGBTQ-related films British mystery thriller films British murder mystery films BBC Film films British Film Institute films A24 (company) films English-language mystery thriller films