Radical | 2023 | PG-13 | – 1.5.5

Why is “Radical” rated PG-13? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “some strong violent content, thematic material and strong language.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a kiss on the cheek between teens, a discussion of abortion and birth control, mentions of puberty and romantic interest between teens, an exchange of gunfire that leaves several young men and a teen dead, children walking past dead bodies on a street outside their school, sounds of gunfire ringing out near a school building, discussions of cheating, discussions of dreams and ambition, several arguments and at least 1 F-word and other strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

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Based on a true story: When a teacher (Eugenio Derbez) introduces a radical lesson plan to his 6th grade students, in an underfunded border town elementary school, he couldn’t have imagined the transformation in their interest in learning. Also with Daniel Haddad, Jennifer Trejo, Mia Fernanda Solis, Danilo Guardiola, Gilberto Barraza, Victor Estrada, Manuel Márquez, Christian González, Xochiquetzal Martínez and Edmundo Moñoz. Directed by Christopher Zalla. In Spanish with English subtitles. [Running Time: 2:05]

Radical SEX/NUDITY 1

 – A teen girl kisses a teen boy on the cheek.
► A young girl discusses the morality of abortion and overpopulation and other children in the classroom talk about contraception methods. A teen boy asks a man how to get a girl to like him; the man gives him advice about being respectful and interested in what she likes. A teen boy asks if another teen boy thinks a teen girl looks different somehow; the other teen boy says, “Puberty.” A teen boy asks a teen girl if he can walk her home; she says, “Suit yourself,” and they walk together. A man tells another man in excitement, “I could kiss you” (he does not).
► A young teen girl helps bathe her younger siblings and we see the children in a tub of water (bare chests, backs and shoulders are seen). Two men agree to get into a tank of water; one man is shirtless and the other wears a tank T-shirt (bare chests, abdomens, and legs are shown). A man wearing underwear and a tank T-shirt moans and sits up in bed. A pregnancy test is seen on a table and we understand that a woman is pregnant.

Radical VIOLENCE/GORE 5

 – A truck speeds in front of a teen boy and a teen girl seated on a stoop; dust is kicked up and the teens are frightened by the men in the truck as one hands the first teen a backpack, the man grabs the teen girl and holds her as she protests, and the first teen takes a handgun from the man’s waistband; we hear gunfire ring out off-screen and we see bloody and dead bodies later with one body hidden by the truck and with a trail of blood on the ground.
► A man on a motorcycle speeds toward a young boy pushing an elderly woman in a wheelchair on a dirt road; the boy hides as a truck with several men speed toward them and we see two other men with their wrists wrapped in chains being pulled behind them (there is blood on their faces and hands). A teen boy with bloody wounds on his face (seemingly from a beating) yells at his younger brother for not showing up at a meeting with a gang leader. Children walk past dead bodies covered with sheets as they leave their school (we see blood on the bodies and the wall behind them).
► We hear tires squealing and gunshots erupting outside a school in several scenes. Two teen boys on the backs of motorcycles exchange backpacks (it is implied that it is a drug/money exchange or for something illicit). A young man gives a teen boy a gun and talks about his having been suspended on the first day of school.
► A man quizzes a teen boy about subjects that he has not studied and calls him a cruel name; the boy runs out of the classroom embarrassed. A young man tells a teen boy that once you are a member of a gang, you are never really out of it; the boy told him he wants to stay in school. A teen boy begs a man not to open his backpack and says, “They’ll kill me.” We are told that a school was outfitted with computers and they were then stolen and never replaced. A man confronts a teacher about filling his daughter’s head with unrealistic dreams. A man is reprimanded and suspended from teaching after a school board administrator disagrees with his methods. A teen girl says that she can’t go back to school because she has to take care of her sick father. A man talks about having had an existential crisis and refers to something that happened in a previous teaching job as the incident. A man stands on a desk in a classroom and shares a story with his students.
► A teen girl looks at a magazine about seagoing vessels and a man reprimands her and burns it in the fireplace. Teens conduct an experiment with light and burn a hole in a plank of wood with focused sunlight; they are interrupted when one boy suggests that they try it on a bottle filled with a flammable liquid. Two teen boys steal a satellite dish from a roof and run away. A young girl is shown caring for her young siblings and taking care of their daily needs; her mother later tells her that she will not be going back to school next year because the woman is having another baby. A young girl waits at a border gate as her mother arrives and her father leaves. Border patrol searches vehicles at a border crossing; we see dogs sniffing vehicles and armed officers. Teen girls tease another teen girl and say that she smells like trash.
► A young teen and her father live at the edge of a large garbage dump and the man sifts through the garbage to sell items for money; we also see the girl walking through the piles and finding items to sell. A man in a classroom has turned over desks and sits among them telling students that they are lifeboats and that they must climb on board; the students don’t know how to react. A boy punches another boy in the arm after the boy apparently lost a bet.
► A man has a bloody nose in a couple of scenes and we understand that he is sick. A dog is shown eating from garbage bags on a street. A teen girl tells a teen boy, “Sorry about the smell,” when they go to her home that’s by a garbage dump.

Radical LANGUAGE 5

 – At least 1 F-word, 4 scatological terms, 3 anatomical terms, 8 mild obscenities, name-calling (trash, school of punishment, insane, crazy, fantasies, fat, suit yourself, impossible, ignoramus, beggar, dumb, stupid, idealist, nerd, pretty boy, little Don Juan, weird, hoodlum, class clown, impertinent), exclamations (shut her up, scram, wow, seriously), 1 religious exclamation (my God). | profanity glossary |

Radical SUBSTANCE USE

 – Two men drink bottles of beer at a man’s home.

Radical DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Obedience, discipline, rules, trust, learning, test scores, puberty, potential, trauma, authority, gangs, existential crises, cheating, philosophy, teaching to standardized tests, failure, moral dilemmas, inspiration, gravity, corruption.

Radical MESSAGE

 – Making mistakes is integral to the learning process. The impact teachers have on children can be life changing. Sometimes believing is not enough.