Bad Hair (Pelo Malo)
(Venezuela, 2013, 93 mins, DCP)
In Spanish
Director: Mariana Rondon
Cast: Samuel Lange, Samantha Castillo, Beto Benites
Related links: Trailer | Website & Trailer | New York Times Review
Friday, January 2, 2014, 6pm
Saturday, January 3, 2014, 8:45pm
Sunday, January 4, 2014, 6:10pm
Monday, January 5, 2014, 6:30pm
Vancity Theatre
Junior is a nine-year-old boy who has stubbornly curly hair, or “bad hair.” He wants to have it straightened for his yearbook picture, like a fashionable pop singer with long, ironed hair. This puts him at odds with his mother Marta, a young, unemployed widow. Junior, Marta, and his baby brother live in a large multi-family building. Overwhelmed by what it takes to survive in the chaotic city of Caracas, Marta finds it increasingly difficult to tolerate Junior’s fixation with his looks.
From this seemingly negligible story veteran Venezuelan filmmaker Mariana Rondon fashions a gentle but piercing film about sexual identity, mothers and sons, love and disappointment. This is one of those “small” films that too easily go overlooked. There are no explosions, no superheroes, and there won’t be a multi-million dollar Oscar campaign either, but if you see it, this one will stick with you.
“The most endearing film I saw out of 36 films [at the Toronto International Film Festival] was Bad Hair.” Kent Turner, Film-Forward
“At just 93 minutes, the movie breezes by but is anything but forgettable.” Monica Catillo, Movie Mezzanine
“Tender insight [. . .] a deft balance of toughness and sensitivity.” David Rooney, Variety