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

16 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 Valdes Freire	...	Chala (as Armando Valdés Freire)
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 Special Film

It's surprising the Cuban government let this film pass-it doesn't show a flattering picture of Cuba, as it doesn't disguise the poverty, rigid politics and injustice.

But the film is good not because it deals with the situation as a whole, or the education system, but because it focuses on a small group of people. It shows a teacher, an aged woman, responsible for helping her pupils cross the hell of their childhood.

The most troublesome boy in her current class in Chalah, whose mother is an addict and his father may or may not be a fight dog trainer for whom he works.

The most important thing-the story never becomes the old unbearable shtick about a teacher taming and saving students.

The child actor Armando Valdes Freire is simply amazing. He portrays a boy who is tough, street-smart, and reckless, and who deeply cares about his negligent mother. He feels that the teacher, Carmela, is the one person on whom he can count, and he's devoted to her. He also likes an immigrant girl who's in danger of being exiled with her father any minute.

Alina Rodríguez, who does Carmela, never misses. Her acting is so precise, she seems to be the teacher herself. She goes through her own hardship so she's aware life is rough, but she is willing to be that little Dutch boy who puts his finger in the hole in the wall to prevent the ocean from washing over the city.

Clearly, as it is not a soap opera, some things remain open, and nothing reaches an ideal solution. However, the film convinces that there is hope where one special person can open the way for others.