THE STYLIST
Directed by: Jill Gevargizian
Starring: Najarra Townsend, Brea Grant
Claire is a hairstylist who finds herself detached from her own life and envious of the lives of those around her, especially her clients. So much so in fact that she takes extreme measures to try on their personas. When regular client Olivia begs her to help out with her wedding hair, Claire finds herself finally getting to know a real person….but will her compulsions end up ruining everything?
The Stylist is one of those films which has made the huge leap from short to feature. Having played the character of Claire in the short, Najarra Townsend reprises the role here and it is a tour de force performance.
I was a little coy in my synopsis as to what Claire does - the film isn't so obtuse and shows us exactly what a maniac Claire is within the first ten minutes. Her last client of the day ticks all the boxes for her - an out-of-towner, on her own, leading her own double life. So naturally Claire preys upon her. As they are the only two people in the salon (late in the evening) it is relatively easy for Claire to drug her client and remove her whole scalp with a pair of very sharp scissors. Claire then takes the scalp home and tries it on in her basement, mimicking her client's voice and mannerisms.
Its clear then that Claire is a functioning psychopath, similar in ways to Elijah Woods' character in the remake of Maniac. She is able to wear a façade of normality while at work but there is always something distant about her. Her job is a perfect way of screening her victims, asking the usual innocuous questions of her clients while cutting and styling their hair. Wo betide anyone unlucky enough to get her final appointment of the day, when they might find themselves all alone with Claire!
However Claire remains a sympathetic character. A lot of people will recognise the anxieties she lives with, regardless of the extremes she goes to deal with them. Thanks to Najarra Townsend's acting, Claire walks a tightrope between flawed hero and monster for most of the film. Her friendship with Olivia helps normalise her, as does her obsession and jealousy, in a weird way.
There are moments which will sway the audience in the other direction, however. At least one of her victims is exactly that - a victim of circumstance, unplanned and undeserving, and genuinely upsetting. It shows Claire isn't completely in control of her need to kill. There is also a lengthy sequence where Claire breaks into Olivia's house and….tries out a couple of her belongings which put me in mind of John Travolta in The Fanatic.
Technically this is a very well produced film, with sterling photography. Some of the driving scenes are particularly well handled. We observe Claire through a lot of mirrors and it must have been pretty difficult to ensure cameras and equipment weren't caught in the reflections. The special fx are very well done, especially the scalping which has to be done in one long take. Claire’s “lair” is also a great setting, giving a real glimpse into her psyche. Her basement evokes the likes of Norman Bates, Leatherface and The Phantom of the Opera but seeped in femininity.
There comes a point in the film where you will realise where the plot is heading, and the film's narrative becomes a "will she/won't she" dilemma. The film has already demonstrated that being a nice person isn't enough to stop you being a victim and you will be biting your nails as Claire battles with her demons.
THE VERDICT
Hairstylists are an underused profession in any genre, let alone horror, and Jill Gevargizian’s film does it proud by providing a very memorable character for the ages. Nejarra Townsend, reprising her role from the original short film, manages to portray a very sympathetic monster, even when she is committing horrific acts to undeserving people. The direction of the plot will eventually become obvious but at the same time you are wondering what will happen right up until the final scene.
8 out of 10 RECOMMENDED (MikeOutWest)
INTERVIEW WITH JILL GEVARGIZIAN