God bless an original point of view in a slasher. From the opening shots this one provides a character that comes off as instantly sympathetic. Her reactions to the initial victim’s offhanded chatter concerning her family and then sex life offer a base for someone easy to feel for, and holy fuck does this pay dividends to the story. Throughout, even while performing her dastardly, batfuck crazy deeds, the viewer feels for the stylist. The suspense of the woman being where she ought not to, the pure cringe of her social inabilities, it all sucks in the viewer giving back great emotional returns. Has a Shirley Jackson vibe.
And the acting, particularly the incredible Najarra Townsend, is absolutely wonderful. I bought into every scene, invested myself in the outcomes and reactions. The camera work is interesting, playing with space and lighting and angles added rather than retracted, especially as there are longish stretches of watching Townsend roam the set silently.
The Stylist (2020) has an unfairly low rating at 5.6 (seems to be a lot of angry dude weenies doling out IMDB ratings/reviews). You ask me, this should be closer to 8.
Lastly, thankfully, I hadn’t checked out the short before the feature and thusly left this full of surprises. This is an absolutely fantastic film. It’s tense, it’s interesting, and it’s wholly enveloping. You can find out more concerning where to watch this one via its Linktree.
