Pelo Malo

Society/Coming of Age, Peru/Venezuela 2013

Nine-year-old Junior lives a troubled existence alongside his mother Marta in a run-down estate on the outskirts of Caracas. The boy doesn't know his father, but he has inherited his frizzy, curly hair. Struggling with a newborn, Marta treats Junior harshly. Their relationship further nosedives when he begins to view his thick curls as a source of shame and attempts to straighten them. The more Junior urgently attempts to change his looks, the more his mother seeks to admonish and turn him “normal”.
Audio language:
Spanish
Subtitles:
EnglishFrenchGermanItalianPortugueseSpanish

Awards

Havana Film Festival Jury Award Best Film
Montreal Festival of New Cinema Best Actress
Golden Shell San Sebastian International Film Festival 2013 Best Film

Further recommendations

More information

Director:

Mariana Rondón

Sound Design:

Lena Esquenazi

Cast:

Samuel Lange Zambrano (Junior)

Samantha Castillo (Marta)

Beto Benitez (Der Chef)

Nelly Ramos (Carmen)

María Emilia Sulbarán (The young girl)

Original title:

Pelo malo

Original language:

Spanish

Further titles:

Bad Hair

Capelli difficili

Format:

16:9 HD, Color

Age recommendation of the KJF:

Starting at 14 years

Age rating:

FSK 12

Audio language:

Spanish

Subtitles:

EnglishFrenchGermanItalianPortugueseSpanish