Rachel Carey’s debut film Deadly Cuts is a story of female empowerment accentuated with extensions, hair dye, scissors, and a little bit of the blood of men- who were asking for it.
This dark comedy is set in a working-class Dublin hair salon where hair stylists take law and scissors into their own hands. Deadly Cuts is an all-female hair salon in Piglinstown, one of the roughest neighborhoods in Dublin.
The salon stylist Stacey, played with biting wit by Ericka Roe, is determined to win the prestigious Ahh Hair competition despite being blackmailed by a dangerous local gang and threatened to be shut down by a corrupt local councillor. One fateful night of accidental vigilantism leads to a reinvigorated community that soon rallies around the Deadly Cuts’ bid to win.
The world is sharply taking note of this first time filmmaker as she effectively and savagely satirizes toxic masculinity and class snobbery to create this campy, dark comedy of women’s empowerment with Deadly Cuts.
RELATED: Emerald Fennell’s “poisonous popcorn film”
Deadly Cuts highlights a few things audiences don’t see often: an all female ensemble of women coming together and the crass humor of Irish females. This witty crew is made up of Irish actors Angeline Ball of Shameless, Ericka Roe, Shauna Higgins, and Lauren Larkin who delightfully carry the film with girl power.
Speaking of of girl power, after the director’s decade-long career in advertising and working with some of the country’s most prominent directors to create TV ads for top international brands, the goal for her debut film was to, “explore and represent the hilarity of women together” and “give a platform to the female Irish comedic talent” portraying that ironic, bold, off the cuff dynamic you only find in Ireland.
Carey truly believes the rest of the world, “deserves that kind of irreverent talent and humor from the women of Dublin.”
The theme of women building each other up is one that has been engrained in Carey’s own life, as she grew up with four sisters and always experienced a female pack dynamic.
In her creative adult life, Kirsten Smith ( writer of Legally Blonde and 10 Things I Hate About You ) has served as a mentor to Rachel very early on in her filmmaking journey by believing in her talent and even providing her with instrumental notes on this debut feature.
With the help of women and by helping build a platform for women, Carey is off to a promising start as a female director after winning the Discovery Award at the Dublin International Film Festival 2021. The film is also currently screening at 47th Seattle International Film Festival between the 8-18th of April.
Contributor Megan Penn has a passion for stories in which women are in the drivers seat, along with a bad case of retrophilia.
