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Yes, the writer and director Justin Simien’s new horror movie, “Bad Hair,” is about a killer weave. But it makes time to bathe not only in blood, but also in nostalgia.
The movie (streaming on Hulu) is set in 1989 and follows Anna (Elle Lorraine), an employee at a Black music network called Culture TV. In this scene, one of Culture’s shows is introducing an exclusive new music video for the song “I Get It,” by the pop star Sandra. That musician is played by Kelly Rowland, who performs vocals for the song (written by Simien). While Anna and her co-workers watch the video on a monitor on set, they are struck by Sandra’s latest look, a new flowing weave that bounces with each beat.
The scene cuts between the action in the Culture studio and the music video itself, a throwback to Janet Jackson-style pop aesthetics and a tribute to the new jack swing music style.
In his narration, Simien discusses what it took to recreate the look of an ’80s music video and how he ensured the camerawork matched the buoyant choreography.
Read the “Bad Hair” review.
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