The family dubbed the "hairiest in the world" have opened up about the discrimination they suffer on a new documentary.
Jesús 'Chuy' Aceves and his family of 30 in Loreto, Mexico, are known for having thick, black hair on their faces due to a genetic mutation called Congenital Hypertrichosis. It causes an abnormal amount of hair growth across the body.
The
family have revealed all to filmmaker Eva Aridjis as part of the
documentary "Chuy: The Wolf Man", which will premier in Mexico City on
25 September.
Aridjis admitted she had never seen bullying and persecution on the scale of what the family suffer.
Chuy has called himself the Wolf Man since he was 13.
Aridjis spent months filming them for the to capture what life was really like.
The
documentary follows the whole family, including aunties, uncles and
cousins as they experience cruel taunts, including their cats being
murdered and strangers calling them names such as "satanic beast".
Chuy has two daughters, Araceli and Karla, who inherited their father's hairy characteristics.
They regularly shave their faces to stop bullying at school.
Chuy's
children have said they "refuse to have more kids" as they fear their
children would suffer the same discrimination as they do.
He gave up life as a circus performer after almost 30 years when his
marriage of ten years broke down and moved back to his home in Mexico.
Chuy is now married to a woman from the local community who lives with the family, but they suffer constant abuse, said the filmmaker.
The
family live in two houses next door to each other that were given to
them by the mayor when they were young, because no one would rent them a
home.
Speaking of the horror the family face, Aridjis said, according to the Mail Online: "One woman
constantly shouts abuse at the family and kills their pets whenever she
gets the chance. They have to keep their cats inside the house now."
She said the kids leave school
early and without proper educations due to the constant bullying. That
means that they can't find work later in life because they have no
qualifications.
Aridjis has faith that her film will improve the family's
situation, adding: "I'm not really in a position to offer them work or
money, but if someone else sees the film and thinks they can help them
then that makes it all worthwhile."
This isn't the first time Chuy has shared his story to an audience. He has previously spoken out about his disorder in other documentaries and TV reports.
He said, "No-one's really sure what causes [the condition], or how to cure it.
"What they do know is that there are about 50 documented cases in human history and it was my fate to be one of them."
At
only 12 years old, Chuy was spotted by a circus owners after travelling
between cities for work. He was nicknamed "the little wolf" and was
"bought" as attractions for paying crowds.
3 comments:
JESUS......... so scary #closeseyes#
I hv seen similar case somewhere in Nigeria but he has hair allover his skin like a goat sha
WTF!!! Why did I see this...omg I wont be able to sleep!
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