Radical is a film based on the true story of a teacher full of hope and a group of 6th grade students full of untapped potential. This comedy-drama is a must see, guaranteed to leave you leaving the movie theater in tears and with much to think about on the way home.

Sergio Juarez Correa, played by Eugenio Derbez, requests to be transferred to ‘José Urbina López Primary School’ days before they begin preparation for their state exams. While everyone around him is attempting to fill his head with the idea that this school and his class are a lost cause, Sergio continues on with his own plans and begins changing the student’s lives one by one.

While at first it may seem like another generic inspirational teacher movie, there is so much more to it once you sit down with it. The director himself, Christopher Zalla, said: “I didn’t make a teacher movie. I made a superhero movie.” While this quote may seem a bit overdramatic, it is a very real statement once you see the journey Sergio and his students take.

The film does a great job of fleshing out the characters, even the unlikeable principal character grows on us by the end of the movie. The stories given for each of the main character students allow us to see and feel a life that is a reality for many children out there which in turn has us rooting for them the whole time.

The acting, from Sergio to the students, feels incredibly natural and they all have amazing chemistry together. The character of Sergio pulls a captivating performance from Eugenio Derbez, leaving you wanting to know what he’s going to do next and nodding your head in agreement at almost everything he says. The students’ performances also feel incredibly organic which was achieved by them casting children from the local area; even with no acting experience behind them, they were able to capture my attention in every scene as we followed their stories.

Radical is a movie everyone should watch when they are feeling lost on their own path or in need of a “feel good” movie to pop in at the end of the night. It is entertaining, sweet and eye-opening. There is no other movie like it!

Radical is currently out in limited theaters.

We give Radical a 4.5/5.