Bad Hair (2013)

Pelo Malo is a subtle, touching movie. The dynamics between the characters are complex and realistic. It is sad, difficult and, for an American audience, appears to be a very extreme situation, but it never crosses the line into feeling melodramatic or overly exaggerated. The messages of the movie were primarily expressed through movement and imagery. The language, of course, was relevant and told the story, but the interactions between the characters were often indirect, expressed through facial expressions and body movements. The mother, Marta, in particular, expressed her feelings toward Junior in a mostly nonverbal way. However, her dislike of him is made very clear when she avoids him on the bus, when she makes faces at him, and especially when she pretends to be asleep when he is holding her. Though she never says so, it is implied that these negative feelings come both from concern for his well-being and concern for her own reputation. The subtlety with which this is expressed is very impressive. The lack of very direct language regarding her feelings towards him is both a reflection of culture and the family dynamic, and serves to emphasize Samantha Castillo's acting. The visual environment of the movie is simple. There is a limited color palette and the homes and streets are not glamorous. The buses are crowded with average people. It is clear that the family is struggling and Junior does not appear to have an escape from this community. His dreams of being a singer are his chance to not only live somewhere else, but to be another person; in essence, it is not his family he wishes to escape, but some element of himself. His obsession with his hair is representative of a childlike concreteness of thought. His frustration with his race and upbringing is taken out on one symbolic feature. All in all, this movie was entertaining, sweet, and sad. The clips of the child singing during the credits helped to lighten what would have otherwise been a pretty heartbreaking movie, without distracting from the message. The acting was excellent, even in the children. It gives a really interesting look at the realities of childhood in Venezuela, and tells a very complete story of one summer in the life of Junior.

To be honest I was expecting to see more things about the social situation in Caracas. I cannot understand why this movie has won so many awards. It is a film that shows nothing, there is no story to tell here. It is the same Latin cliché but this time without any story to tell. Unnecessary scenes and much time spent in describing situations that add no content to the film.It is clear that the director highlights that rejection of the mother to her son and his "rare" fixation with his look. What remains unexplained however is the empty script along the movie and sometimes it even turns into meaningless (especially during the visits to the doctor when the mother asks him about the tail her son has on his back and its possible relationship with his strange obsession. It was very very disappointing.

'Pelo Malo' means 'Bad Hair' and Junior is a nine year old growing up in a slum project with his single parent mother. He finds it hard to fit in and is constantly mistreated by his mother; this same mother dotes on his baby brother – who happens to have straight hair. Junior has curly hair – but apparently the absent father is the same for both of them.His mother works for poverty wages and is not averse to doing anything to get her old job back as a security guard. Meanwhile poverty sticks to everything around Junior like a bad smell in towering estates that are all concrete and hopelessness – he still manages to dream and see some beauty with the help of his little girl friend. He also wants to be a singer with straight hair and will try any old wives tale to make his curls go straight.This is an unusual film that was said to be a Venezuelan 'Precious' and I can see some parallels but little more than that. It is not a film that will have you 'skyping home' but it will make you think. The cinematography is actually quite good too, but the story did feel a bit padded at times – still it is good to see South America tackling issues of mixed race families, poverty and crime.

I had high hopes for this movie, believing that it would address the issue of finding one's identity and coming of age as a hispanic person, no matter what complexion you are. This movie is the Spanish language version of the movie Precious. The intended audience is mostly likely middle to upper class whites, to invoke empathy and disgust for the plight this boy faces and the abuse he endures from the people closest to him. This movie has very little to do with "Pelo Malo" or bad hair, and is mostly about a boy who grows up with very little parental supervision or guidance, and always ends up in situations where older adults are trying to take advantage of him sexually and force him into certain abnormal gender roles (aka being tricked into becoming homosexual). I'm probably going to catch a lot of flak here for saying this, but this is a movie about underage sexual child abuse and neglect. If you're into that sort of thing, then this movie is for you(imho, this movie should be banned or come with a stern warning at best). If you're looking for an intellectually stimulating movie that touches on issues of race and coming to terms with one's identity, steer clear of this movie. It will leave you shaking your head. It is a bewildering roller coaster ride of sexual innuendo involving children, and ultimately, very depressing and anti-climatic.