As part of the Filadelfia Latin American Film Festival, International House will screen “Pelo Malo” (“Bad Hair”) at 4:45 p. m. April 26 with writer/director Mariana Rondón in attendance. This poignant drama, set in Caracas, Venezuela, has 9-year-old Junior (Samuel Lange Zambrano) determined to straighten his unruly curly hair for his school photo. Junior’s mother, Marta (Samantha Castillo), however, disapproves of her son’s constant primping. The temporarily unemployed Marta, who is raising Junior and his infant brother on her own, also does not like that her elder son is not particularly masculine: He sings pop tunes and dances with his eyes closed, waving his arms in the air. Marta tells a doctor that she fears her son is gay and that he will suffer. (She also wonders if it is her fault.) Junior, meanwhile, aggravates his mother by learning new songs, putting mayonnaise in his hair and developing a crush on Mario, a handsome local grocer.
“Pelo Malo” is a gritty, absorbing film about Junior (and Marta) wanting to escape from their hardscrabble lives only to have to face the reality of their difficult situation. The film’s authenticity makes each character sympathetic, right up to the powerful, provocative ending.
— Gary Kramer
