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Interesting subject but the filmmakers seem annoyed that the answers are simple and lack shock or exploitation value no matter how hard they try to twist it out
If anyone demonstrates how hair extensions can make you suddenly look more glamorous and stunning it is Jamelia and that is one thing we discover in this film as she spends a lot of it with just her own shorter hair (and annoyingly still looks awesome in that!). As a result of the boom in the hair extension market, Jamelia has started to think about where all this hair is coming from and uses this BBC3 film to find out. Starting out looking at the popularity of extensions in her former Birmingham high school and Essex nightclubs, her investigation takes her to those that buy and sell hair and onwards to the source.
Following on from Alesha's breezy and colourful "documentary" on digital enhancement of glamour shots, the beauty season on BBC3 continued with this film from another attractive British pop star. As well as Jamelia's involvement, the subject itself interested me because a former partner did used to have synthetic extensions that I used to joke were horse hair and it never really occurred to me that so much of it would be human hair. Watching this film then was interesting to me for all that it tries to do, if not all that it gets to. The first half of the film is a bit trash as Jamelia investigates the popularity of extensions with British girls and celebs, which includes some relatively pointless moments with school girls and overly made-up Essex girls. These don't do a great deal for the film but I suppose they make a point. The second half of the film is the crux of the matter as Jamelia goes to Russia and India to find those selling their hair.
It is here that the film should become more interesting but, while still quite interesting, it doesn't actual surprise. Jamelia doesn't find that it comes from dead people but rather the majority of it comes from women who grow their hair until they can sell it to supplement their income. Shockingly it is revealed that these women do not get the price that women in fancy salons in London pay for it. So far, so ho-hum. From here we do get some nuggets such as the temple in India shaving off hair as a religious sacrifice but then selling it onwards for the temple's profit well, that is shocking until you see the amount of money the temple spends on feeding and housing those who cannot look after themselves. She does get upset at the sight of children having their hair shaved off at a very young age because Hindu's believe that it is carried over from a past life, but these tears are perhaps more due to the children crying, rather than anything else. That this moment is given time tells you that there is not much else of emotional impact to be had. From here we continue the search for the source of Jamelia's hair continues to try to find the specific woman. The hair already having been narrowed down to one region in India, the crew take to the streets looking for a woman with short hair who it might be, asking such pointless questions as "do you eat fish" to those they see. This aspect is pointless and adds nothing to the film at all.
Jamelia herself is well-suited to this type of film. Her "down-to-earth-Brummie" self makes her a poor man's Louis Theroux - not with the cutting edge perhaps but certainly she is easy to talk to and makes for a likable presenter. Shame then that the material doesn't provide the edge that she lacks because this could have been a more interesting film. That there are no shocking revelations is not that big a deal because it is still interesting but the film doesn't help itself with its poor structure and its apparent hunt for "exploitation" and shock. Interesting answer to a simple question ("where does the hair come from") but offers nothing more than a basic answer to that question but takes an hour to do it!
Following on from Alesha's breezy and colourful "documentary" on digital enhancement of glamour shots, the beauty season on BBC3 continued with this film from another attractive British pop star. As well as Jamelia's involvement, the subject itself interested me because a former partner did used to have synthetic extensions that I used to joke were horse hair and it never really occurred to me that so much of it would be human hair. Watching this film then was interesting to me for all that it tries to do, if not all that it gets to. The first half of the film is a bit trash as Jamelia investigates the popularity of extensions with British girls and celebs, which includes some relatively pointless moments with school girls and overly made-up Essex girls. These don't do a great deal for the film but I suppose they make a point. The second half of the film is the crux of the matter as Jamelia goes to Russia and India to find those selling their hair.
It is here that the film should become more interesting but, while still quite interesting, it doesn't actual surprise. Jamelia doesn't find that it comes from dead people but rather the majority of it comes from women who grow their hair until they can sell it to supplement their income. Shockingly it is revealed that these women do not get the price that women in fancy salons in London pay for it. So far, so ho-hum. From here we do get some nuggets such as the temple in India shaving off hair as a religious sacrifice but then selling it onwards for the temple's profit well, that is shocking until you see the amount of money the temple spends on feeding and housing those who cannot look after themselves. She does get upset at the sight of children having their hair shaved off at a very young age because Hindu's believe that it is carried over from a past life, but these tears are perhaps more due to the children crying, rather than anything else. That this moment is given time tells you that there is not much else of emotional impact to be had. From here we continue the search for the source of Jamelia's hair continues to try to find the specific woman. The hair already having been narrowed down to one region in India, the crew take to the streets looking for a woman with short hair who it might be, asking such pointless questions as "do you eat fish" to those they see. This aspect is pointless and adds nothing to the film at all.
Jamelia herself is well-suited to this type of film. Her "down-to-earth-Brummie" self makes her a poor man's Louis Theroux - not with the cutting edge perhaps but certainly she is easy to talk to and makes for a likable presenter. Shame then that the material doesn't provide the edge that she lacks because this could have been a more interesting film. That there are no shocking revelations is not that big a deal because it is still interesting but the film doesn't help itself with its poor structure and its apparent hunt for "exploitation" and shock. Interesting answer to a simple question ("where does the hair come from") but offers nothing more than a basic answer to that question but takes an hour to do it!
helpful•21
- bob the moo
- Aug 21, 2008
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- Runtime1 hour
- Color
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