A24’s Medusa Deluxe is a killer one-shot experience

Sam Hargrave told Polygon recently about the no-cut 21-minute fight sequence of Netflix action movie Extraction 2., one-shot sequences — or “oners,” as the industry calls them — have become signature flashy moves that let filmmakers show off their ambition and their technical chops. “You as the audience get to go with the character on a journey in real time, and hopefully by the end of it, be exhausted, just as exhausted as the character is,” he said.

That’s part of the premise behind A24’s Medusa DeluxeThe film is a showy murder mystery with a lot of energy that takes place in just a couple extended takes. The movie, which played festivals like Fantastic Fest and Fantasia in late 2022, immediately caught audiences’ attention with its dizzying visuals, which take the camera wandering up and down the many floors of a dilapidated old building as a group of British hairdressers and models gathers for a small regional hairstyle competition, where a front-running participant winds up murdered — and tellingly, scalped.

You can also Part RuPaul’s Drag RaceThe film is part exploration of an underground subculture and part British comedy. Calendar Girls (Come to mind) Medusa Deluxe is a lot of fun in part because it’s just so You can find out more about specifics by clicking here.. The stakes could hardly be lower than “Who’s going to win Hairdresser of the Year at this small-time competition,” but the characters act like they’re vying for Olympic medals — except they do it by producing lavishly excessive hairstyles. Thomas Hardimann is a debut feature-writer-director who sends his camera to wander between the characters, following their rivalries and affairs.

It’s a deliriously messy movie that sometimes feels like hanging out inside an immersive theater event as it’s happening, and it all builds to a wild finale. This first trailer focuses more on the plot than style. However, people will want to watch this movie more to experience the feeling of being right in the thick of it all.

Medusa DeluxeThe film will be released in theaters and on VOD Aug. 11