Huda’s Salon (2021) — Film Review
Hany Abu-Assads film is gripping, but does contain problems in its storytelling.
Huda’s Salon is a gripping drama film set in occupied Palestine. The film shows the difficulties that arise when you get stuck in the fight between the resistance and the occupiers. Huda’s Salon shows that the occupiers (and resistance) have become invisible to the resistance and ordinary citizens. With this, the film shows that you should always be on your guard in Palestine because at any moment you can have to deal with the occupiers — or for that matter, the resistance.
The story of Huda’s Salon certainly contains a loaded and difficult topic to discuss. Yet, director Hany Abu-Assad manages to tell a powerful story with his film, in which women’s empowerment is central. In addition, Assad clearly shows how civilians (especially women) are the victims of the fight between the occupiers and the resistance. Unfortunately, Huda’s Salon does contain some problems — including in its storytelling.
About Huda’s Salon (2021)
Huda’s Salon is a 2021 international suspense drama film. The film was written, directed and produced by Hany Abu-Assad. The cast of the film includes Ali Suliman, Samer Bisharat, Maisa Abd Elhadi and Manal Awad. Huda’s Salon had its world premiere at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival.
The story is about Palestinian Reem. She has an appointment scheduled at Huda’s Salon. What should have been an ordinary visit to the hairdresser turns into the most defining moment of her life. She is faced with an impossible choice by Huda: she must betray her people or accept that her darkest secret will be revealed. However, the fate of these two women is mysteriously determined by freedom fighter Hasan.
Review
Huda’s Salon presents an intense portrait of survival. The film displays what people are capable of in order to survive — especially when fear controls a person. This is immediately reflected in the film’s impressive opening scene. The combination of the loose camera work and squeaky sound editing, makes for an oppressive experience. Unfortunately, the height of the opening scene is never reached again in the rest of the film.
Nevertheless, Huda’s Salon contains plenty of other moments that can be experienced as exciting, suspenseful and poignant. This is because in the film, everyone is each other’s enemy. Every character walks on their toes, so as not to stand out and get into trouble. This also makes the film feel claustrophobic. The story of Huda’s Salon drives us into a corner, just as it does for the relevant characters in this story. The fact that Huda’s Salon feels like a claustrophobic film is also reflected in the chosen locations and positioning of the cameras.
The film frequently uses small exposed places in a larger space, which makes the interrogations feel more riveting and intense. There is also a lot of use of small spaces crammed with characters and objects. Here you can think of the scene where Reem sits with her in-laws at the crowded dining table. So it can definitely be said that the production design, the scouted locations, lighting, and set building help the film.
The sound editing is also a strong part of Huda’s Salon. With almost every new scene, there is some form of a ticking sound. This could be a drop of water that keeps dripping constantly or a dryer that keeps making a ticking sound. This creates the feeling as if the characters are dealing with a doomsday clock, with the ticking sound symbolizing that the clock is counting down to the moment where it will all go wrong.
Sometimes, the film is a little too melodramatic, which actually makes the serious events of the film feel less severe. The moments where the film feels too melodramatic are mostly tied to separate actions that the main character Reem takes when she is stressed. Out of stress, she slides her fist over walls and then puts it in her mouth. These kinds of actions can happen in real life too, but the way director Hany Abu-Assad presents it makes it feel unnatural and unnecessary.
In addition, the film ends rather with an anticlimax. Throughout the film there is a build-up to a confrontation between Reem, the occupiers and the resistance. Ultimately, this confrontation never happens. The film abruptly ends with a phone call. This makes the ending of the film very disappointing.
Conclusion
Huda’s Salon is a powerful film that unfortunately feels a bit too dramatized at times. The events and the occupation of Palestine are obviously serious. This particular situation does not feel dramatized. In fact, Huda’s Salon paints a realistic picture of an occupied Palestine where everyone is a danger to each other. Because everyone is fighting for themselves to survive, the film comes across as poignant and claustrophobic.
The characters are frequently cornered, which makes the story come across as exciting and impressive. Yet at times, the actions of main character Reem are too dramatized. The ending of the film also feels disappointing, with Huda’s Salon ending with an abrupt anticlimax of an ending.
The camerawork was filmed mostly without a tripod, making the images feel loose and less tight. This helps to outline and portray the unsettled area. The camera positioning and chosen locations also help. Furthermore, the lighting, sound editing and production design are strong aspects of the film. Even though the film has its problems, Huda’s Salon is a film that should be recommended to everyone — especially if you love foreign films or want to delve more into them.
