Moving drama has positive messages, violence, language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Language
some
Spanish words/expressions are translated in English subtitles (for U.S. release) as "damn," "f---ing," "s--t," "fat ass," "shut up." A student says her classmate "smells like garbage."
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Mexican city of Matamoros is portrayed as a violent, almost militarized place because of drug trafficking. Gunfights are heard, bodies of gunshot victims with blood are briefly seen in the streets; some are covered with sheets. In one confrontation, a child is killed, although this isn't shown on-screen. Drug trafficking involving minors. A villain asks a girl whether she's a virgin and tries to kidnap her, but others try to defend her and don't let it happen.
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A boy around 12 years old is interested in his schoolmate and asks his teacher how to get her to notice him. The teacher tells him that it's up to him to show interest in the things that matter to the girl. She gives him a kiss on the cheek. A man wearing shorts without a shirt takes a plunge in a water tank.
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One person's actions can change many lives. Everybody deserves the same respect and opportunities. Perseverance and hard work will often lead to achievement. Stand and speak up for what you believe. Other themes include curiosity, perseverance, integrity, and courage. Stresses the importance of the actions of the adults in the lives of the children. And as it takes place in a school, it highlights some STEM concepts (fractions, buoyancy, gravity) and philosophical notions.
Positive Role Models
a lot
Sergio shows courage when he stands up for his students and his teaching method. When another teacher gives him the National Achievement Test model, he demonstrates integrity by rejecting it. He awakens curiosity in his students and teaches them to persevere. He listens to them and tries to motivate not only the students, but also the faculty. He's self-sacrificing, and humble when he recognizes that he doesn't have all the answers. Principal Chucho supports Sergio when he sees the changes among the students. Despite some teasing, Paloma gets a push of self-esteem and the ability to shine.
Diverse Representations
a lot
Mexican cast led by star Eugenio Derbez, who's also one of the movie's producers. Director-screenwriter Christopher Zalla was born in Kenya and raised internationally and is fluent in Spanish. Shows how traditional gender roles and economic deprivation perpetuate poverty: A 12-year-old girl must drop out of school and take care of her siblings so that her parents can work long hours. Most male characters are empathetic, and impoverished people are treated with respect and dignity, moving away from negative stereotypes. One of the sixth graders, Paloma, is a shy girl who feels underappreciated and judged because she lives next to the dump, but she's actually very smart (perhaps a genius).
Parents need to know that Radical is a moving Mexican drama based on the true story of a teacher who experimented with a new educational approach in the border town of Matamoros. The area is impacted by narco violence, corruption, poverty, and neglect. Gunfights are heard, and the bleeding bodies of gunshot victims are briefly seen in the streets. In one confrontation, a child is killed (not shown on-screen). There's drug trafficking involving minors, and one villain asks a girl whether she's a virgin and tries to kidnap her (others defend her and don't let it happen). A 12-year-old boy is romantically interested in his schoolmate and asks his teacher how to get her to notice him. She gives him a kiss on the cheek. A man wearing shorts without a shirt takes a plunge in a water tank. Two men drink a beer. Language in English subtitles (for U.S. release) includes "s--t" and a use of "f---ing." The Mexican cast is led by star Eugenio Derbez, who also helped produce the film, which has strong themes of curiosity, perseverance, integrity, and courage. The film also shows how traditional gender roles and economic deprivation perpetuate poverty but treats impoverished people with respect and dignity, moving away from negative stereotypes. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
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What's the Story?
In RADICAL, teacher Sergio Juárez (Eugenio Derbez) arrives at the José Urbina López Elementary School in Matamoros, which has some of the worst academic results in all of Mexico. His mission is to break his students' apathy and unleash their curiosity and potential. But the reality is that the kids know mostly violence and hardship, and the adults have lost their hope. Can Sergio truly inspire change?
Winner of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival's Festival Favorite award, this is a moving, powerful, fact-based film. Derbez takes viewers from laughter to tears with his magnificent performance as Sergio, a hero without a cape who represents so many educators who've changed the lives of one or many students with something as simple as a phrase or a lesson. And while Sergio can't save everyone, if he can change the life of even one person, it will have been worth it.
Radical is also the story of how adults' actions can perpetuate socioeconomic challenges in future generations, of children who must take on the work of adults, and of the consequences of a lack of opportunity. In this sense, director Christopher Zalla offers an empathetic vision of the impoverished border town of Matamoros without falling into negative stereotypes. Viewers' attention is held throughout by a story that combines funny moments with very touching ones. Sergio is a dreamer who doesn't give up, loves what he does, and is convinced of the importance of adapting the curriculum to the students' environment and the power of technology to do good. Integrity and the desire to do things well are ultimately contagious.
What challenges did Sergio and the children face living in Matamoros? Why did Principal Chucho at first feel reluctant to trust Sergio's new way of teaching?
How accurate do you think the movie is to the real-life story it was based on? Why might a filmmaker choose to change some facts?
What's the most important thing Sergio learns from the kids, and what's the most important thing they learn from him?
Which movies inspire you? Why? What about teachers?
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