Do you remember what it was like to prepare for your school picture when you were a kid?

If you were like most young, impressionable children, you probably wanted to fit in with your peers, emulate your favorite band member or TV star, and most importantly, you wanted to make sure that your hair was just perfect for the shot.

As someone who has fallen victim to many bad haircuts and perms as a kid, but who always smiled proudly despite my uneven bangs, this writer suggests that you check out Venezuelan writer-director Mariana Rondón's award-winning film, "BAD HAIR" ("PELO MALO").

Not only is "BAD HAIR" the winner of the Best Film award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in 2013 -- among more than a dozen directing, acting and screenwriting awards -- and was featured at the Tribeca Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival, but its layers go well beyond hair.

Described as "a touching and humorous coming-of-gender story," "BAD HAIR" chronicles the life of 9-year-old Junior (played by Samuel Lange), living in a bustling Caracas tenement with his widowed mother, Marta (played by Samantha Castillo).

Junior acquires a complex about his curly hair and fears he has "pelo malo -- bad hair." Consumed with the thought of getting the perfect school photo, he becomes obsessed with ironing out "his stubbornly curly mane" so he can resemble one of his pop star idols.

Junior and his neighborhood pal (played by María Emilia Sulbarán) use their imagination and make the best of the world they live in -- an impoverished part of Caracas. Like Junior, she wants to appear more fabulous than herself in her school picture. She yearns to look like a beauty queen or the famous actresses and models they see on TV.

Meanwhile, Junior's mother is depressed, unemployed and overwhelmed with the pressures of raising two children in poverty. Given Junior's new obsession with his hair, his love of dance and freedom of expression, his homophobic mother suspects that her son is gay. She even takes him to the doctor to find a remedy.

On the other hand, his paternal Abuelita (Grandma), Carmen (played by Nelly Ramos) is more accepting and teaches Junior to dance to her favorite '60s rock 'n' roll tunes and embrace his new look and identity. She even blow-dries his hair straight, thus lifting up Junior's spirit.

Writer-director Mariana Rondón, who spoke with Latin Post in an exclusive interview, "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."

What does bad hair (pelo malo) symbolize?

"When I made the film I wanted to talk about identity in respect to differences and how you can open a world of possibilities in respect to these differences -- social identity, sexual identity and political positions," she explained to Latin Post.

She compared it to finding yourself and discovering the complexities of what you see reflecting back at you in the mirror. At the same time, there is a bigger picture.

Rondón finds that her audiences get emotional when watching the film because they identify with Junior in some way and find their "own universe" within the film.

"We all have 'bad hair,' no? And we can all identify with Junior," she added.

In a powerful and metaphorical scene, we see that Junior's grandma has blow-dried his hair straight on one side, while the other side remains curly.

"The dueling hairstyles suggest an inner conflict between conformity and individuality in a restrictive environment," The New York Times explained. "More than conveying ambiguous sexuality, they reflect the narrow range of self-expression in Venezuela under Hugo Chávez, who at the time of the film was ailing but still alive."

The city of Caracas, Venezuela is indeed a powerful backdrop to the film and as mentioned, a way to highlight the social, economic and political landscape of the country.

"All of the news on television, it was actual news that was occurring at the moment when we filmed," Rondón added. "It's a mirror of the society ... the reflection of bad hair in the mirror. For me it's important to reflect the most intimate side."

The film also highlights the hardships that many single Latinas face in tough economic situations, raising children without a job or a father figure.

"Yes, I always incorporate the personality of the mother because she lives in a place of conflict, in a very limited situation ... to watch her son, to protect her son in a difficult context, but at the same time she finds herself in a very difficult situation," she explained. "She is asking her son to do the same thing she is doing" -- in essence she is suppressing her sexuality and femininity and is exuding a stoic, masculine exterior to protect herself.

The mother blames herself for Junior's supposed homosexuality, when he is really just a child with a "simple wish" that is faced with prejudice, Rondón added. He's a kid who just wants straight hair for his school picture. At the same time, Junior just wants to be accepted, have the freedom to grow and evolve and is desperately yearning to be loved by his mother.

Junior's wish to look like a singer with straight hair becomes a "family conflict," she explained. In the context of Latin America, if a boy wants to straighten his hair, it might be considered "feminine," which in turn reflects a closed-minded, "homophobic society," whether he is homosexual or not.

Yet with all of the complex themes in "BAD HAIR, "the power of love holds a great significance in the film," Rondón adds. Ultimately, it's about "the injustice and the sacrifice of love."

"BAD HAIR" ("PELO MALO") will be playing at the following locations:

Dec. 5 in Miami (Tower & O Cinema Miami Shores), Chicago (Facets Cinematheque) and Boston (Museum of Fine Arts)

Dec. 10 - Santa Barbara (Plaza de Oro)

Dec. 12-13 - Houston (Museum of Fine Arts)

Early Jan. - Vancouver (Vancity) & Seattle (Northwest Film Forum), San Francisco, Dallas

Feb. 27, Detroit Institute of Arts

Check out the official trailer for "BAD HAIR" ("PELO MALO").