In a Mexican border town plagued by neglect, corruption, and violence, a sixth-grade teacher tries unorthodox methods to break through his student’s apathy and motivate them to think for themselves. The setting is 2011; Sergio Juarez Correa (Eugenio Derbez) is a new teacher at Jose Urbina Lopez Elementary, where his earnest efforts to reach his 12-year-old pupils are thwarted by the poverty and crime surrounding them. Frustrated by the lack of resources, rote-learning methods, and the slavish adherence to standardised testing as the only means to measure a child’s intelligence, Sergio takes an alternate route to inspiring his young charges. Radical, based on true events, and winner of the Sundance Film Festival’s Audience Favourite Award, shines a light on the incredible potential children can manifest when an innovative teacher offers encouragement.

Notes by David O’Mahony