Week 2 - Pelo Malo

 I really enjoyed this week's film. Though it was a bit slower spaced than what I am used to, I found myself very intrigued with the story the entire way through.

There are many challenaging though necessary aspects to consider with this film; gender, sexuality, and race. Something that made it difficult for me was the idea that the boy thought that he needed to have straight hair in order to pursue his dream of being a singer. I find it fascinating how much media influences our appearance and it was hard to see how obsessive the boy was at such a young over something that genetically out of his control.

The contrast between the grandmother and the mother was both refreshing but also difficult to watch. I loved that the grandmother allowed the boy to straighten his hair and almost encouraged him to be as feminine as he wanted. It really combatted the treatment he was getting at home with his mother. Though, I can only imagine how confusing this must've been for a growing young boy in regards to finding himself and figuring out his sexuality. 

During Tuesday's class, someone made a comment comparing Pelo Malo to Minari. I also saw this comparison although both movies are very different. With Hollywood films, there is always the expectation to follow narrative storyline, one that often has a happy ending. For both Minari and Pelo Malo, I loved that the ending was not overly shocking but realistic.