Junior is a nine-year-old boy 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 starts to feel marginalised by his mother’s pre-occupation with his younger brother. When school term approaches and his yearbook photo is due to be taken, Junior decides to straighten his stubbornly curly hair. His grandmother recommends Junior spend time with her as they have a strong connection and share a love of music and singing. She introduces him to her favourite sixties crooner, Henry Stephen (“My Lemon, My Lemon Tree”) and suggests he might like to imitate his 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.
Pelo Malo is out in cinemas on Friday.
