Afro-Saxons

Fledgling British writer-director team Rachel Wang and Mark Currie take an irony-free though heartfelt look at the gravity-defying and gaudy world of competitive Afro hairdressing in this proficiently made and smile-raising little doc. It follows a clutch of the UK’s premier black hair-and- beauty specialists as they duke it out on the awards circuit.

For the most part, the affable, loose approach to filming works well in eliciting a genuine worldview from the film’s (largely likeable) subjects, with the most interesting story coming from gong-hogging Thai duo George and Apple Kosit whose restless, can-do spirit means they’re continually ahead of the competition. Tricks are missed, such as a specific focus on technique, innovation and how individual stylists conceive and develop their award-winning cuts. There is also scant information on the history of black hairdressing in the UK, which would have supplied some context and perhaps made some of the more crazy ’dos look even crazier.