Radical Parent Guide

Sergio Juarez Correa (Eugenio Derbez) has a revolutionary idea. What if, instead of teaching students to pass tests, teachers guided kids to find answers to the questions that interest them? Even more radically, the sixth grade teacher wants to try out his outlandish ideas in one of the most poverty-stricken, hopeless schools in Mexico.

Its nickname is the “School of Punishment”, and José Urbina Lopez Elementary School is so bad that half of the school’s sixth graders drop out. The ones who remain are disengaged and perform poorly on standardized tests.

Sergio’s class is representative of the school’s struggling students. Nico (Danilo Guardiola) is being inducted into a local gang, and carries a gun in his backpack. Paloma (Jennifer Trejo) is a mathematical genius, constrained by her need to care for her father, who has become ill after years of picking through a massive garbage dump for scrap he can sell. Lupe (Mia Fernanda Solis) is fascinated by philosophy but spends her time caring for her younger siblings because her mother works the graveyard shift – and is pregnant with another child. When Sergio tells these kids that they have as much potential as any other student in the world, they listen – and the results are incredible.

One of the best things about Radical is that it’s based on a true story. In a world where the news is dominated by war and hate, it’s wonderful to watch a movie about a decent, caring teacher who wants nothing more than to help children discover the joy of learning. This is a hopeful, bittersweet movie about the power of education, self-confidence, love, and compassion. It will make you smile and might even bring a tear to your eye. (It certainly brought tears to mine.)

The film also stands a painful reminder of the challenges facing children in Mexico and other developing nations. These kids aren’t constrained by their own abilities, but by the grinding poverty experienced by their parents and the systemic corruption that robs their schools of critical resources like library books and computers.

Also hard to watch is the violence that pervades the children’s world. There are upsetting scenes of gang violence and death as well as the attempted abduction of a girl, with an implied threat of forced prostitution. There is also a small amount of profanity, including a single sexual expletive.

Despite the negative content, I wholeheartedly recommend Radical to families with teenagers. The story is inspiring, the characters appealing, and the actors deeply immersed in their roles. This is a movie that can help all of us value curiosity, encourage learning, and appreciate the teachers that lit a spark within us. I just hope every child gets to feel what Sergio’s students do – an infectious love of learning and the confidence to keep trying.