Mariana Rondón's Pelo Malo from 2013 gives viewers a glimpse into the life of a young boy named Junior as he navigates family struggles and begins the process of figuring out who he wants to be. Part of this journey involves observing people in his urban Venezuelan neighborhood, most notably Mario, the older boy who works at the kiosco on the street below Junior's apartment.
The many shots of Junior gazing at Mario can be interpreted in a few ways. Because the film deals with Junior's gender nonconformity and its repercussions, there's a strong case to be made that Junior's fixation is an innocent childhood crush. Alternatively, the older teen could represent the sort of masculinity the younger boy wants to emulate. There's also the possibility that Junior is simply observing this figure who's conventionally masculine in how he presents but is accepting of his friend for who he is. Regardless, Mario is the only male character that Junior likes to spend time with, which is interesting given that he must go to school with lots of little boys his own age.
On the outside, Mario is a man's man. He works for a living, shoots hoops in his spare time, has close-cropped hair, and sits with his legs splayed far apart. He's also totally fine with Junior just being who he is and isn't afraid to show that he cares about the younger boy right on the street where anyone can see them. As part of the boy's chosen family, he's the one Junior turns to after the massive fight with his mom where she cuts a lock of his hair with scissors. Instead of passing judgement or shooing him away, Mario gives him his hoodie and the two sit for a bit, with Mario taking up as much space as possible and Junior doing the opposite. Despite his macho appearance, the teen never comments on the things that set Junior apart from other boys. More than anything, Mario exhibits a form of masculinity that doesn't demean other expressions of gender in order to legitimize itself, highlighting how even the side characters in this film have nuance.
I love your analysis of Mario's masculinity. In a film that is challenging traditional masculine gender expression, it is significant that one of the diverse displays of masculinity is a boy like Mario. If we are to do away with toxic masculinity and patriarchy altogether, perhaps particularly in a nonwhite community, there has to be room for men to express themselves in any way. In an ideal world traditional masculinity would be an option, valued and respected equally to all other forms and presentations. Your analysis turns Mario into this almost utopian image of masculinity, unbounded by patriarchal gender norms, and it is super interesting to see that next to the gender norms imposed on Junior in the film. While we see in Junior's struggle the current state of gender norms, maybe Mario represents what gender and masculinity could be, once free of patriarchy. Junior's attraction to him, then, may not be a sexual/romantic one at all, but an attraction to a world where men are free to express and present themselves on a broader spectrum than our current society allows.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to wonder what Junior really felt for Mario. It's not totally clear whether he has a crush on him or looks up to him. Either way, I love that Mario is always kind, and never judges Junior. When he gives Junior his hoodie, we can see Junior continue to wear it in later scenes afterwards, which just goes to show how much Junior liked Mario.
ReplyDeleteIt is awesome how you have a more nuanced take on what Mario is to Junior! I have been going back and forth trying to put Mario in a box of being Junior's love interests or just a role model. It is never clear and you talk about how it does not really matter. Mario serves to help Junior on his journey of finding himself. Mario allows for Junior to express himself and have experiences without punishments/consequences. Thank you for making space for this analysis :)
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting when you mentions about Junior's childhood crush.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your analysis of Junior's relationship with Mario, highlighting its nuance. You explored the complexity of this situation, which I find very important. I think Mario was an important part of Junior's life, as he always seemed to be kind towards Junior, and even gave him his jacket.
ReplyDeletepersonally when i saw Mario and Jr.'s relationship I also couldnt put their relationship in one box. however i have seen many times where a young queer person has a crush or a hook-up with their older queer role model. so i lowkey dont think their relationship has to be one or the other, after all this movie shows the many ways that Jr. doesnt fit the expected binary
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