“Hair love” short film

 Hair Love is a 2019 American animated short film written and directed by Matthew A. Cherry. It won Best Animated Short Film at the 92nd Academy Awards.

 Seven-year-old Zuri attempts to style her thick, natural hair while watching an instructional video narrated by her mother. Her father, Stephen, attempts to help her and, after much effort, styles her hair. Zuri then shows her dad the video of her mom styling her hair, so that he could do the same. They enter a hospital room where her mother is wearing a scarf and sitting in a wheelchair. Her mother removes her scarf to reveal that her head is completely bald, the result of chemotherapy for cancer. The family members hug each other and return home together. 

 Hair Love is a sweet and joyful story about an African-American father learning to style his daughter’s natural hair in his wife’s absence. This sounds simple enough, but we soon come to find that Zuri’s hair has a mind of its own. It is also about a daughter who wants to do her hair and look her best for her mom, who doesn’t have any. Both father and daughter rush to see their wife and mother in the hospital and make her feel better. It’s a touching tale, both sad and hopeful, a portrait of a family trying to survive through tough times.

 The film is about loving your hair and loving yourself.   People have praised it for its positive message about embracing your natural hair and a dad’s love for his daughter. It has also opened up a wider conversation about society’s perception of afro hair and the acceptable norms around it.