Radical
(M. 126 minutes)
3 stars
Among the vignettes of daily life in a Mexican city that open this film, some are mundane while others are telling. In one of these short scenes, a girl picks her way across a vast field of trash, sifting as she goes. In another, a trio of children stops by the gate of a women's prison to send a greeting to their mother before continuing the rest of the way to school.
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The vignette that is most striking is captured in the half-light of evening on the nearby coast the day before. A young boy pushing a wheelchair with an elderly woman aboard is shuffled out of the path of a utility with rowdy men aboard. Two men stumble in chains behind it as it picks its way across the dunes.
Welcome to Matamoros, a city by the sea. It helps to know, with a quick google before we head on in for the action, that it sits slap-bang on the US-Mexico border.
Although set in a dangerous region infamous for its vicious gang-related crimes, Radical is about a problem that is far more relatable and universal: how to get kids motivated to learn. One of the scary statistics that Jose Urbina Lopez Elementary principal Chucho (Daniel Haddad) has is to remind his staff to lift their game. Half of their sixth graders will leave school for good. Perhaps there is something missing in the mantra of silence+obedience+discipline=learning.
It's the start of a new term, yet the staff already look dispirited. I may have been reading too much into their expressions, but we do learn that the school is poorly equipped and has a dismal academic record. Why would students need to familiarise themselves with internet research when the school library has books?
Flocks of animated students entering the school grounds are looking fresh and lively in their crisp, white shirts. An ironed and spotless shirt speaks volumes.
There is a small change this term, Chuco announces, as he opens trays of pastries to share. The replacement teacher, Mr Juarez, is a last-minute appointment.
No one in this sleepy, satisficing school can possibly anticipate how Juarez is about to shake things up.
The character of Juarez is in the hands of Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez. He is a major comedy star and a director of Spanish-language film and television, who has also appeared in Hollywood productions like How to Be a Latin Lover. Juarez doesn't bother with the usual formalities. The new teacher has gone straight to class instead, preparing to ambush his students with his enthusiasm and love of subject. Science and philosophy will prove special favourites.
And what do you know, the real teacher who is the star of this true to life story from 2011-12, Sergio Juarez, is still working at the same school. Radical, written and directed by Christopher Zalla, is inspired by a 2013 article in Wired magazine that drew attention to the great potential for teaching methods that unleash students' creativity in learning.
The scenes of Juarez's unconventional, dynamic teaching methods are the best fun. Learning new formulae like the equation for density is a breeze when Juarez shows the way with an approach he freely admits to seeing one day on YouTube. Juarez may not cover the entire curriculum or follow the usual approach to prepare for testing, but he is proud he has taught his students to think creatively. How to think and problem-solve scientifically, how to approach moral dilemmas and devise strategies for working out life problems.
A new recruit to the pantheon of the best onscreen teacher characters, Juarez joins some esteemed company played by the late Robin Williams, Denzel Washington and others. The film that celebrates him and his lucky students takes few risks in its storytelling, but it has its heart in exactly the right place.
