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Latin American and Spanish Film Festival: Pelo malo

Join the Department of World Languages, Literatures and Linguistics for the 2018 Latin American and Spanish Film Festival every Wednesday in October. All films will be shown in Spanish with English subtitles. Bring your own snacks, then stay for the post-screening discussion. The festival is sponsored by the Department of World Languages, Literatures and Linguistics; Pragda; the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of Spain; and SPAIN Arts and Culture. 


About the Film 

Pelo malo film poster

A nine-year-old boy’s preening obsession with straightening his hair elicits a tidal wave of homophobic panic in his hard-working mother, in this tender but clear-eyed coming-of-age tale. Junior is a beautiful boy, with big brown eyes, a delicate frame and a head of luxurious dark curls. But Junior aches to straighten those curls to acquire a whole new look befitting his emerging fantasy image of himself as a long-haired singer. As the opportunity approaches to have his photo taken for the new school year, that ache turns into a fiery longing. Junior’s mother, Marta, is barely hanging on. The father of her children has died, she recently lost her job as a security guard, and she now struggles to put a few “arepas” on the table for Junior and his baby brother. Junior doesn’t even know yet what it means to be gay, but the very notion prompts Marta to set out to “correct” Junior’s condition before it fully takes hold. This is a story of people doing what they feel they have to, partly out of fear, but also out of love. 

Director: Mariana Rondón
Countries: Venezuela
Duration: 93 minutes
Release Year: 2013