Louis Proyect
2014-10-21 22:08:20 UTC
I reviewed this a while back, very recommended.
http://louisproyect.org/2014/04/17/vanishing-pearls-bad-hair/
BAD HAIR, Humorous, Charming Coming-of-Age Tale from Venezuela,
Has US Theatrical Premiere Wednesday, November 19 at Film Forum
Film Forum is pleased to present the US theatrical premiere of Mariana
Rond?n?s BAD HAIR, beginning Wednesday, November 19. A touching and
humorous coming-of-gender story, BAD HAIR chronicles the life of
nine-year-old Junior, living in a bustling Caracas tenement with his
widowed mother. Junior fears he has pelo malo ? bad hair. For his school
photo, he wants to iron his stubbornly curly mane straight to resemble
one of his pop star idols. His mother, unemployed and frazzled from the
pressures of raising two children in an unforgiving city, has serious
mis- givings; she suspects her son is gay. Grandma is more accepting,
teaching Junior to dance to her favorite ?60s rock ?n? roll tunes.
Writer-director Mariana Rond?n grounds her film in the cultural
realities of working-class Venezuela ? and, by dint of two remarkable
performances, finds warmth and humor between mother and son, even as the
uncertainties of pre-adolescence threaten to pull them apart. Samuel
Lange as the mischievous, incipiently stylish Junior is a wonder to
behold: whether arguing with adults, hanging out with his chubby
gal-pal, or admiring his newly straightened hair. The rest of the cast
exude believability as well as poignancy, emotional depth, and joie de
vivre. Winner, Best Film, San Sebastian Film Festival, and winner of
more than a dozen directing, acting, and screenwriting awards at
festivals throughout the world.
BAD HAIR will have a 2-week engagement, November 19 ? December 2, at
Film Forum, 209 West Houston Street (West of 6th Avenue), with
screenings daily at 12:45, 3:00, 5:10, 7:20, and 9:30.
?Bold and intelligently perceptive. Rond?n?s enthralling BAD HAIR
certainly challenges your prejudices?(a) provocative and gripping film?
buoyed by instinctive performances ?and an unnerving score. BAD HAIR may
just be this year?s festival foreign sleeper hit.? ? Vanessa Martinez,
ShadowAndAct/Indiewire
BAD HAIR (2013, 93 minutes) Written and Directed by Mariana Rond?n.
Produced by Marit? Ug?s. Cinematography: Micaela Cajahuaringa. Editor:
Marit? Ug?s. Music: Camilo Froideval. Cast: Samuel Lange (Junior),
Samantha Castillo (Marta, his mother), Nelly Ramos (Carmen, his paternal
grandmother), Maria Emilia Sulbaran (his friend).
Venezuela/Peru/Germany. In Spanish with English subtitles. Released by
Cinema Tropical and FiGa Films.
http://louisproyect.org/2014/04/17/vanishing-pearls-bad-hair/
BAD HAIR, Humorous, Charming Coming-of-Age Tale from Venezuela,
Has US Theatrical Premiere Wednesday, November 19 at Film Forum
Film Forum is pleased to present the US theatrical premiere of Mariana
Rond?n?s BAD HAIR, beginning Wednesday, November 19. A touching and
humorous coming-of-gender story, BAD HAIR chronicles the life of
nine-year-old Junior, living in a bustling Caracas tenement with his
widowed mother. Junior fears he has pelo malo ? bad hair. For his school
photo, he wants to iron his stubbornly curly mane straight to resemble
one of his pop star idols. His mother, unemployed and frazzled from the
pressures of raising two children in an unforgiving city, has serious
mis- givings; she suspects her son is gay. Grandma is more accepting,
teaching Junior to dance to her favorite ?60s rock ?n? roll tunes.
Writer-director Mariana Rond?n grounds her film in the cultural
realities of working-class Venezuela ? and, by dint of two remarkable
performances, finds warmth and humor between mother and son, even as the
uncertainties of pre-adolescence threaten to pull them apart. Samuel
Lange as the mischievous, incipiently stylish Junior is a wonder to
behold: whether arguing with adults, hanging out with his chubby
gal-pal, or admiring his newly straightened hair. The rest of the cast
exude believability as well as poignancy, emotional depth, and joie de
vivre. Winner, Best Film, San Sebastian Film Festival, and winner of
more than a dozen directing, acting, and screenwriting awards at
festivals throughout the world.
BAD HAIR will have a 2-week engagement, November 19 ? December 2, at
Film Forum, 209 West Houston Street (West of 6th Avenue), with
screenings daily at 12:45, 3:00, 5:10, 7:20, and 9:30.
?Bold and intelligently perceptive. Rond?n?s enthralling BAD HAIR
certainly challenges your prejudices?(a) provocative and gripping film?
buoyed by instinctive performances ?and an unnerving score. BAD HAIR may
just be this year?s festival foreign sleeper hit.? ? Vanessa Martinez,
ShadowAndAct/Indiewire
BAD HAIR (2013, 93 minutes) Written and Directed by Mariana Rond?n.
Produced by Marit? Ug?s. Cinematography: Micaela Cajahuaringa. Editor:
Marit? Ug?s. Music: Camilo Froideval. Cast: Samuel Lange (Junior),
Samantha Castillo (Marta, his mother), Nelly Ramos (Carmen, his paternal
grandmother), Maria Emilia Sulbaran (his friend).
Venezuela/Peru/Germany. In Spanish with English subtitles. Released by
Cinema Tropical and FiGa Films.