Antonio Pagudo, Carlos Librado and Tomy Aguilera are three desperate bald men who travel to Turkey to recover their lost hair in “Por los pelos”. Comedy directed by Nacho G. Velilla, creator of hits such as ‘Fuori dal menu’ or ‘Villaviciosa next door’, The film touches on a sensitive topic such as the phenomenon of hair transplants in the male population.an aesthetic retouch that more and more men are turning to. “Every aesthetic change decision is not free from a certain pressure or external influence”declares Aguilera, who in the film plays Rayco, the youngest member of the leading trio.
‘Por los pelos’ shows how baldness continues to be an increasingly frequent pattern among the male population. The film tells how in a world where superficiality, image and marketing are a trend, three men decide to put an end to the teasing for their “empty” heads and go to Istanbul to undergo a hair transplant. The film shows the different reasons that push these three men to go to a country whose language they do not know to leave their complexes behind.
“The film was born from a title I read in the press, which said that half a million men go to Turkey every year to get their hair done. From there, I wanted to investigate why they do it. There is a very new point, which makes me think about how this cosmetics industry, which moves so much money and has such massive marketing campaigns, is changing its focus from women to men. In addition to the fact that women continue to face impositions of beauty canons, now this has also been passed on to men “, underlines Velilla, in an interview granted to eCartelera in Madrid.
Comedy to question the canons of beauty
The film highlights the fine line between the desire to feel comfortable with their body and the way some men decide to get grafts due to pressures that have affected their self-esteem. “He is very divided, each character has his reasons. In my case, it is the pressure he suffers from his wife, who plays Eva Ugarte. He is happy and proudly wears his ’empty’ hair, but it is his woman who puts it on. under pressure, because he says it makes him feel older because he’s bald and fat. This is what makes him agree to change his body, without being sure it’s what he wants. “explains Antonio Pagudo, who plays Juanjo in the film.
“Many times the decision to undergo a hair transplant stems from a combination of factors, the desire to feel better about your body and social pressures. My character, being a reggaeton singer, is much more exposed to aesthetic canons and believes he has to take care of his image to the point of getting his hair back. But, even when it’s your choice, there will always be a suspicion that something has influenced the comments of those around you. “aguilera shares.
Although ‘Por los pelos’ has a clear comic tone, He does not fail to raise the importance of not letting oneself be influenced by the canons of beauty and how social networks have become another source of insecurity. “It is evident that social networks have left us more exposed to public opinion. We are committed to showing absolute perfection and the best. There is a lot of social pressure with our image and we ourselves promote it”exclaims Amaia Salamanca, who enters Sofia’s skin in the film, doing an exercise in self-criticism and responsibility for what is shown on networks like Twitter or Instagram.
“It’s important to have a humor filter when dealing with issues that matter to people”
“It’s a cliché to talk about the beauty that’s inside, but we have to constantly repeat it to ourselves. We live in a time when visibility and image matter much, much more than before. Even after the pandemic, we went further, because now we register much more at home and the human being is a gossip by nature. And social media made us want to see more and more and this distorts what, in the end, ends up being seen and we have to be careful “says Eva Ugarte, who is Inma in the film, and who considers it “it was time” to show that even men are under pressure from aesthetic standards.
Even if it is fun Velilla clearly wanted to tackle such a delicate issue with the greatest possible respect. “During the writing process, previously, we did a documentation process in which we spoke with experts and patients from those clinics. For me it is essential that before telling a story, to know what feelings and emotions move the people who will experience that. . Not just as a screenwriter, but as a director, because I have to convey these concerns to the actors “says the director.
“Behind these stories of lack of self-esteem, you see that there are conflicts and complexes that are not easy. But this is also a great seed for humor, because when you tell elements that are very important to people, it is important to have the humor filter to dump the dramatic load and reflect honestly and good vibes on topics that, treated in another way, it could be more painful “Keep it up.
Nacho G. Velilla conducts ‘Por los pelos’, who wrote the screenplay together with Antonio Sánchez and David S. Olivas. Starring Antonio Pagudo, Carlos Librado and Tomy Aguilera, the cast is completed by Amaia Salamanca, Eva Ugarte, Alba Planas, María Hervás, Jesús Vidal, Leo Harlem, Laura Quirós and Mario Ermito. Produced by Nacho G. Velilla himself together with Mercedes Gamero, Stefan Schmitz and Gustavo Ferrada. A production by Atresmedia Cine, Felicitas Media and Microinjerto Producciones AIE, in collaboration with Buendía Estudios, Movistar Plus + and Crea SGR. Available in theaters this August 12, from Warner Bros. Pictures Spain.
Source: E Cartelera
