When we’re little, the things we want so badly in our miniaturized here-and-now are often impossible for grown-ups to understand. That’s certainly the case with the nine-year-old boy at the center of Venezuelan writer-director Mariana Rondón’s Bad Hair: Junior (Samuel Lange), a kid growing up in a rough housing complex in Caracas, is convinced that his hair, a springy, dusky cloud, is standing in the way of everything he wants. He needs to get his photo taken for his school ID, and doing so requires money that his mother, Marta (Samantha Castillo), doesn’t have. But lack of funds isn’t even the biggest problem: Junior yearns to present himself in that photo as a suave pop singer with straight, silky hair. Drifting around within his fog ...
- 11/19/2014
- Village Voice
The 13th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival (Nov. 29 - Dec. 7) has locked in the full slate of films set to play at the event. Over 110 films are set to screen, with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Hindi romantic drama "Ram-Leela" serving as the opening night film, and Lukas Moodysson's Swedish coming-of-age film "We Are the Best!" closing the festival. Other highlights include James Gray's "The Immigrant," Jeremy Saulnier's acclaimed thriller "Blue Ruin," Kore-Eda Hirokazu's Cannes-winner "Like Father Like Son," and Terry Gilliam's latest mind-bender "The Zero Theorem." Below find the list of films playing in and out of competition. For more on the festival go here. Competition Again – Japan 1st film by Junichi Kanai starring Yoshikura Aoi and Yagira Yuya Bad Hair - Venezuela, Peru, Argentina and Germany by Mariana Rondón starring Samuel Lange and Samantha Castillo Blue Ruin – USA 2nd film by Jeremy Saulnier...
- 11/8/2013
- by Nigel M Smith
- Indiewire
Mariana Rondon’s bold and intelligently perceptive film Bad Hair isn’t really about hair, whether it is straight or coarse; but about Junior (Samuel Lange), a boy who doesn’t fit society’s conventional mold within gender roles, especially not in the world of his already overwhelmed and weary mother, who suspects that her son – who has distinct tastes and flair - has begun to show signs of homosexuality. Junior’s desire and fixation to envision himself as a straight-haired singer is perhaps – to his mother’s unrelenting scorn - an escape from reality and the only thing he can really control in his unique world. In an impressively directed and photographed opening scene, which...
- 9/8/2013
- by Vanessa Martinez
- ShadowAndAct
It happens at every film festival, and this year’s Toronto International Film Festival is no different – a string of titles are announced that sound almost laughably similar, either thanks to their actual titles (there’s a film called October November and one called September? Are you kidding me here?) or their overriding themes (no, you didn’t imagine that there are two films about regular dudes who discover creepy doppelgangers that are also both based on novels at this year’s festival). How will you ever unravel such strange mysteries? As a public service, we’ve compiled a guide to some of the most confusingly similar films at this year’s Tiff. Who’s going to be the first person to forget that Paradise is a standalone and Paradise: Hope is part of a trilogy? Not you! After the break, learn to tell the difference between Bastardo and Bastards, find...
- 9/2/2013
- by Kate Erbland
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Making its world premiere next month at the Toronto International Film Festival is a film we will certainly keep an eye on. Described as a tender but "clear-eyed coming-of-age tale," the Venezuelan drama Bad Hair (Pelo Malo), written and directed by Mariana Rondon, centers on a 9-year old boy obsession with straightening his own hair, which elicits "a tidal wave of homophobic panic in his hard-working mother." What's interesting about the film from it's long synopsis is how the filmmaker seems to interweave issues of sexual and racial identity - homophobia and racism - through the eyes of a young boy and his racially diverse family. In Bad Hair, Junior (Samuel Lange) is...
- 8/27/2013
- by Vanessa Martinez
- ShadowAndAct
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.