Conducta (2014)

Aging teacher Carmela has a special heart for pupils from broken homes and is challenged by the headmaster to follow up 12 year old Chala which is infatuated in Yeni. They are both poor, and has severe home troubles.

Director:

Ernesto Daranas

Writers:

Ernesto Daranas, Ania Molina (collaboration) (as Ania Molina Alonso)

Stars:

Alina Rodríguez, Yuliet Cruz, Armando Miguel Gómez

17 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alina Rodríguez	...	Carmela
Yuliet Cruz	...	Sonia
Armando Miguel Gómez	...	Ignacio
Miriel Cejas	...	Maria
Sílvia Águila	...	Raquel
Idalmis Garcia	...	Mercedes (as Idalmis García)
Tomás Cao	...	Carlos
Roque Moreno	...	Policía
Anniet Porte	...	Mirta (as Anniet Forte)
Aramís Delgado	...	Asesor
Armando Valdés Freire	...	Chala
Amaly Junco	...	Yeni
Yoan Angarica	...	Yoan
Richard Andrade	...	Richard
Cristian Guerra	...	El Niño

Storyline

Aging teacher Carmela has a special heart for pupils from broken homes and is challenged by the headmaster to follow up 12 year old Chala which is infatuated in Yeni. They are both poor, and has severe home troubles.

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Plot Keywords:

teacher | behavior modification | palestinian | havana cuba | childhood love | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Cuba

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

January 2014 (Cuba)

Also Known As:

Behavior

Company Credits

Production Co:

RTV Comercial, Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industrias Cinematográficos (ICAIC), Ministry of Culture

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Official submission of Cuba to the best foreign language film category of the 87th Academy Awards 2015.

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Quotes

Carmela: Every year, I have a Chala in my class. None of them has ever been stronger than me, because, at heart, they are all children. There are four things you need to bring up a child: a home, a school, rigor and affection. But outside that door, there's the street, and a teacher needs to know what's waiting for them out there. In the past, life was clearer, and I knew what I was preparing my students for. Now, the only thing clear to me is what not to prepare them for.

User Reviews

A genuine heart-breaker of a teacher/pupil film gem

Going to a film which gets good remarks still happens to be ordinary or cute and boring. I was actually thinking about passing this. Thank God I didn't. Conducta (Behaviour) is a true gem on all accounts, and has been a monster hit in it's native country Cuba.

Aging teacher Carmela has an extra place in her heart for the kids coming from broken families and difficult family relations. 11 year old Chala is a troublemaker, and earn the money to keep his mother running on drugs and alcohol by training special pigeons and dogs for illegal dog fights.He is infatuating with class mate Yeni, which hasn't got the proper right to attend school, because her father is work-less and outside of his county. Carmela gets in trouble by her support for these two pupils, and the young headmaster wants her dismissed. It's also a love story, and a story about a teachers' importance.

This film is simply amazingly well made. Perfect photography, amazing acting in a perfect script. This could simply not be made better in any way! Young Chala is played so amazingly well by Armando Valdez Freire that it's almost unbelievable. The others are equaling the play. Such amazing instruction. So natural, so real, and upright charming.

The film in some way resembles Walter Salles amazing "Central do Brazil" (1998) and also to some extent "Dead Poets Society" (1989), but is even better.

I saw this film with English subtitles on the premiere night at the Films from the South Festival in Oslo in a packed theater giving standing ovations after screening.

Treat yourself to see this. In fact, go head over heels to see it. But remember to bring some napkins to stop the tears. What a gem! What a film!

What to criticize on such a film? Hm... I surrender!!!