Split Ends was a DePaul University senior thesis directed, written & edited by Cookie Estés
poster by Kimia Fariborz
“Such a rich text and such a clear, decisive vision for how to deliver it.”
“You could say the beauty standards tied to long hair in Latine cultures are suffocating. Estés perfectly depicts this in Split Ends. ”
“Thematically confident from the first frame to the last. Equal parts horrifying and heartbreaking.”
Synopsis Designed to pinch you in the place where it hurts to lose a loved one to dementia. Isa is forced to look complex anticipatory grief dead in the eye as its manifestation, her disembodied hair, threatens her life. Hair and grief are alike in that way, demanding to be acknowledged in order to be let go. This short horror film is a commentary on Latinx beauty standards – especially ones that concern women's hair and are perpetuated by mothers.