I think it’s fair to say that when each of us looks in the mirror, we all notice something we don’t like about ourselves: our nose is crooked, our ears are too big, we wish our hair was straight, etc. The movie, Pelo Malo, looks at this universal human experience while confronting several layers of modern Venezuelan society.

According to this NBC interview with Mariana Rondon, the director of the film, Venezuelans often claim racism and homophobia do not exist in their culture because they are so open with talking about it. While there is a lot of open discussion, these issues do exist deeply in their society because of a lack of civil rights and the mere existence of prejudice and discrimination.

There’s something for everyone in this film as it confronts racism, homophobia, identity, politics, culture, family, and more. It shows the importance of celebrating our differences and the negative consequences of not respecting the differences that make us unique. According to this NPR article, this film brings to light many controversial aspects of Venezuelan culture, so a lot of Venezuelans claimed the film did not accurately represent this article. To read more of the synopsis, check out the NPR article!

Interested in seeing it? The Patois Film Fest will screen it on March 19, 2015 at 8:30 PM. For more details, check out their website.