I’ve got a trailer here for you to watch for a wonderful film titled Radical. The movie tells the true story of a teacher who comes to a Mexican border town plagued by neglect, corruption, and violence. The teacher becomes frustrated with the education system for the kids in the area and is looking to mix things up and make a real difference in the lives of these kids.

The movie is based on an uplifting true story, and it was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival. I had the opportunity to watch the film while I was there and I loved it! The story played out in a beautiful way, and I said in my review that there are ”several moments in the film that punch your emotions and you can’t hold back the tears.”

The film stars Eugenio Derbez as the teacher Sergio, who comes to an elementary school to test out a radical new way of teaching kids. His plan is completely unconventional in letting the kids guide the lessons in class and learn from things that they’re interested in or they have questions about and treating the kids like they are actual human beings. It’s the exact opposite of how things have been taught in school for years… and it works!

The synopsis reads: “Who will the sixth grade students at Jose Urbina Lopez Elementary in Matamoros become? They are among the worst performing students in Mexico; the world they know is one of violence and hardship, and their classrooms are dominated by an atmosphere of overbearing discipline, not possibility. It might seem like a dead end… it is also the perfect place for new teacher Sergio Juarez to try something different. There’s just one problem: Sergio (played by an amazing Eugenio Derbez) has no idea what he’s doing.”

The film comes from director Christopher Zalla, and he made a hopeful and encouraging movie that I think audiences will love and appreciate.

Pantelion Films will release Radical in select theaters on October 20th, 2023.