Bad Hair (2013 film)

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Bad Hair (Pelo Malo) is a 2013 drama film from Venezuela, Germany, Peru, and Argentina. Written and directed by Mariana Rondón, it stars Samantha Castillo as the mother and Samuel Lange as Junior, a nine-year-old mixed‑race boy living in Caracas. Junior loves grooming his hair and calls it “pelo malo,” hoping for straight, neat hair. His mother dislikes his obsession and worries it means he might be gay. The two butt heads as Junior spends time with a neighborhood friend watching beauty pageants, and as he and his mother clash over what is “normal” for a boy.

Doctors are brought in to check if Junior is developing normally. After a doctor suggests he needs a stronger male influence at home, his mother brings home her boss and has sex with him, which Junior is forced to witness. Faced with growing conflict, the mother gives Junior an ultimatum: shave his hair or move in with his grandmother, who wants him to act more feminine. Junior shaves his hair, and the film ends.

The story touches on adolescence, family tension, gender identity, and life in Venezuelan society. It was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2013 and at the Moscow International Film Festival in 2014, with critics praising the performances, especially the young actor Samuel Lange.