The meaning of dance in “The Hairdresser's Husband” - One man’s days of love and The Way We Were

Azir the “Barber”

As a result of this ``(sexual) drive = libido'' continuing, Antoine becomes an adult and ends up in a relationship with Mathilde, a barber. Immediately after falling in love at first sight, Antoine decided to make her his lifelong partner. While getting his hair cut, Mathilde suddenly asks him to marry her and he ignores her, but the next time she visits the barber, Mathilde approaches him. It's such a ridiculous story.

However, even if it is a creation, we all know firsthand that in love, there is a kind of ``gravitational force'' that can only be felt by the parties involved. I wonder if there isn't. The workings of this gravitational force cannot be understood from the “outside.”

What makes this impression even stronger is the space called a barber shop. This is the space that Antoine dreamed of. For the young Antoine, this was a place and opportunity for him to be away from his parents. It was also just the two of us with the barber we admired. Yes, it's just the two of us.

"The Hairdresser's Husband" (c) Photofest / Getty Images

Furthermore, for Antoine and Mathilde as adults, ``barbershop'' has even greater meaning. Normally, a barber shop is a place where people come for haircuts, shampoos, shaves, and other purposes. But Antoine and Mathilde's barber shop is different. Although it is a space open to many people, once the door is locked, it becomes isolated from the outside society and reality, and becomes a completely "alone" space. It becomes a “sanctuary = Azir” that no one can violate.

To begin with, Antoine has had Azir in his brain since childhood. It's a fantasy space. We may also remember this. An asir in the brain who can manipulate the "world" to his will through delusions. Antoine, who has cultivated this idea since childhood, realized it in the realistic space of a barbershop. You can huddle and dance with your loved one. There will be no interference from anyone.

But what if a crack appears in such a space? ──You won't be able to dance. This "crack" is the "absence of hair styling." For Antoine, Asile, a barber, is only complete when there is a woman who does his hair.

dance with loss