Junior (Samuel Lange), a 9-year-old boy from a disadvantaged neighborhood in Caracas, Venezuela, develops an obsession with straightening his hair—deemed socially as pelo malo (bad hair)—for his school photo. As Junior yearns to discover his identity through this fixation with his hair, it leads to rising tensions with his domineering mother Marta (Samantha Castillo), whose cause of distress is rooted in fear over noticing Junior’s increasing queerness. Through Junior’s relationship with his hair, Pelo Malo explores questions about race, gender norms, sexuality, age, and class, influenced by the lasting effects of colonization which continue to permeate throughout Latin America.
DIRECTED/WRITTEN BY: Mariana Rondón. WITH: Samuel Lange, Samantha Castillo, Nelly Ramos, María Emilia Sulbarán. 2013. 93 min. Venezuela. Color. Spanish. DCP.
Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation.
Explore our current quarterly print Film Calendar and browse the archive.
Theater accessibility accommodations available upon request. Learn more about our accessibility initiatives.
Know Before You Go
Plan your Visit
Location
The Academy Museum and its theaters are located at 6067 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Parking
Self-parking, accessible parking, and electric vehicle charging options are available. See below for our parking structure information and view the parking page for further details.
Ride-Share Drop Off
Roddenberry Lane, entrance on Fairfax Ave.
LACMA's Pritzker Parking Garage
6000 W 6th St., Los Angeles, CA 90036, entrance on 6th St.
5am–10pm
$20 ($12 after 8pm entry)
Accessible spots on P1, adjacent to elevators
EV charging stations on P1 and P2Petersen Automotive Museum Garage
744 Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90036, entrance on Fairfax Ave. or 8th St.
6am–11pm
$24 (first 15 min. free)
Accessible spots on P1 only; no garage elevator
EV charging stations on P1Accessibility
Audio Description
For visitors who are blind or partially-sighted, audio description devices are available for some digital film screenings on a first-come, first-served basis.
Real-time audio descriptions are available for some performances upon request with at least three weeks’ notice, subject to the availability of describers. Email academymuseum@oscars.org to submit your request.
Closed Captioning
For visitors who are deaf or hard of hearing, in-seat closed captioning or descriptive audio-devices are available for some digital film screenings on a first-come, first-served basis. Please confirm availability at academymuseum@oscars.org before planning your visit.
Real-time captioning is available for programs upon request with at least three weeks’ notice, subject to the availability of captioners. Email academymuseum@oscars.org to submit your request.
Please see our Accessibility page for complete information, including details on our Visual Description Tours, Calm Mornings, and Covid-19 policies.