Afro Saxons review

Rival stylists battle for glory at the UK’s National Black Beauty And Hair Awards in this opportunity-missing doc from British co-directors Rachel Wang and Mark Currie.

The duo focus on the extensive preparations of half-a-dozen entrants: a gold-toothed female braid specialist from Tottenham; a couple of highly rated youngsters from Brixton’s Hype Coiffure salon; a Peckham-based Thai husband-and-wife pairing; and a Brummie stylist, who’s hoping to put the London contestants in their place.

It’s a warm-spirited, well-intentioned movie, yet offers a repetitive, visually humdrum and ultimately superficial portrait of its chosen milieu that seems much better suited to the small screen.

Pity it doesn’t explore its subjects’ lives beyond the salon, or ask why hair care is such big business in the black British community. Great title, though.