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We meet 6 populations in transition via the microcosm of the local barber shop.

In Rio de Janeiro, barber Pedro picks teenagers from the street to teach them a profession. The inhabitants of Clacton-on-Sea reflect on post-Brexit society. In South Africa, post Mandela era, the white middle class is degrading to poverty. Detroit’s young and old inhabitants, each in their own way, have learned to overcome the city’s bankruptcy. The Sahrawi refugees question the fight for their land. In India, hairdresser Soniya helps her clients to fight for women’s rights.

NEW DELHI / INDIA

India has only recently openly raised its voice to one of the most violent aspects of society: the incredibly high number of rapes and the impunity of the attackers. Women seem to be helpless and have no chance to ask for justice.

Some women, however, have found the strength to resist society’s stigma. Soniya has a beauty parlour and barber shop in New Delhi. She survived an acid attack, several years earlier. Being mutilated for the rest of her life, she makes it her mission to give beauty and self-respect to the women around her. Barber Shop India demonstrates that beauty lies in the mind.