Chez Jolie Coiffure

Sabine, the resilient manager of a quaint hairdressing salon nestled in Brussels' vibrant Matongé district, carries with her a harrowing past from Cameroon to Lebanon, where she endured near-slavery conditions orchestrated by recruitment agencies. In her modest 8m2 salon, Sabine and her fellow hairdressers navigate the challenges of their daily lives, supporting each other amidst a veil of secrecy. Enduring grueling 13 to 14-hour workdays, the salon workers operate under the constant specter of patrolling police and the prying eyes of tourists from all walks of life. Within this confined space, they find solace in camaraderie, battling both the physical demands of their labor and the invasive gaze of those who observe and capture them through the lens, reducing them to mere objects in the storefront window. Sabine's journey and the struggles of her team unveil a poignant narrative of strength, resilience, and the quiet defiance of those who refuse to be defined by the oppressive forces around them.