This short film combines humour and drama, showing the thoughts going through the hairdresser of the prime minister using a narrated monologue. The hairdresser is overwhelmed with power, not to assassinate him but give him a really bad haircut. Reviewing her “mediocre” life she realises that she will go down in history for giving the prime minister a bad hairdo. The narrated film contains little dialogue, but when it is used it addresses the difference between the working class hairdresser and the educated prime minister.
The Mise-en-scene is fairly basic but hairdressing equipment such as scissors and the razor create a good verisimilitude, the film embraces stereotypes depicting the hairdresser as a working class woman, wearing hoop earings, plasters over her blistered feet, leggings and a lot of make-up. This contrasts with the well-groomed prime minister wearing sparkling shoes and a spotless suit. The facial expressions of the hairdresser indicate boredom and her mode of address is brash connoting a working class background whereas the prime minister's mode of address is soft suggesting a possible unease in the situation.
The proxemics obviously resemble the standard hairdresser-client position however it can be inferred that with the hairdresser assuming the higher position it connotes a higher position of power, likewise the prime minister is in a position of vulnerability. Reinforced by high and low angle shots the high position of power the hairdresser discusses is reflected in the visual.
To accompany the narration many long panning shots are used empathizing the boredom of her life. Additionally, establishing shots are used to make the audience aware of the location being inside the prime ministers house and the hairdresser has come to him to set up her equipment. In the film many mid shots are used of the hairdresser as we focus more on the narration. It also cleverly changes focus on some panning shots to change the attention of the audience from the hairdresser to the prime minister. To reinforce her "mediocre" life a close up of the bookshelf is used, old and colourless books are shown and this shot is used several times in the short film. At the end a birds-eye-view panning shot is used to take us away from the action as the hairdresser finally snaps.
The editor of the film also uses animation effectively to illustrate how well protected the prime minister is, animating police men and ten inch thick walls. The editor chooses to dictate the pace of the film as very slow and at times it hampers the enjoyment, the rarity of dialogue is the cause of this, but the narration gives the viewer an insight to the main characters thoughts. The editor uses a close up of the hairdresser just before she shaves his hair to indicate the increased intensity.
The twist at the end of the hairdresser actually ruining the prime minister’s hair opposed to just having thoughts about it, not only provides humour but gives the film a neat, clinical ending. When the hairdresser is imagining the prime minister having ridiculous hair styles we are given visual representations of the hairdressers thoughts with the prime minister in perms and mohicans.
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