Pelo Malo

Junior is nine years old, growing up on a housing project in Venezuela with his recently widowed mother, Marta, and his baby brother. Searching for an identity without a father-figure, Junior feels marginalised by his mother s preoccupation with his younger brother. When school term approaches and Junior s yearbook photo is to be taken, he decides to straighten his stubbornly curly hair. Sharing a love of music and singing, Junior s grandmother introduces him to her favourite sixties crooner, Henry Stephen ( My Lemon, My Lemon Tree ), and suggests he might like to imitate the look for the school photo. As Junior s fixation with his appearance grows it soon puts him at odds with his mother. Overwhelmed with searching for a job to provide for her family, she finds it increasingly difficult to tolerate Junior s personality and tries to induce him into macho ways, convinced his obsessions are in fact signs of his undefined sexuality...