The Beauty Salon (2024)

In an unnamed city, Joshua has repurposed his former beauty salon into a hospice. The space now shelters gay men afflicted by a wasting contagion. Their bodies are slowly overtaken by a layer of iridescent, shimmering scales. As friends and lovers succumb, Joshua provides what comfort he can, transforming rituals of care into acts of quiet dignity. Amidst the sterile light and lingering scent of disinfectant, he finds a stark, unexpected beauty in their final moments. The hushed rooms are filled with the soft rustle of scales and murmured farewells.