After winning the jury prize in the 'A certain look' section of the last Cannes film festival, 'After Lucia' was presented at the last San Sebastian festival, where the spectators attended the hardness of a projection that shows the cruelty of teenagers who harass the new partner.
The tour will continue to Los Angeles, since Mexico has chosen it to represent the country (as a non-English speaking film) at the Oscar ceremony ... we will also see it again in Spain during the Goya awards. It is a Mexican / French co-production.
The young filmmaker Michel Franco has intended that the film connect with those who go to see it, and the truth is that it leaves no one indifferent, because 'After Lucia' has been able to jump from the sphere of the private (the relations between groups of teenagers) to the public sphere (the cinema) a fact that far from being regulated and contained, continues to increase: bullying through physical and verbal violence, humiliation, etc..
The main protagonists are Ale (starring Tessa Norvind) and her father, both have been left alone by losing the mother in an accident. Together they move to another city where a true nightmare begins for the teenager, to whom her colleagues undergo bullying of extreme crudeness that is not exempt from realistic touches.
The film forces us to reflect on how society tolerates violence among young people, and also about the dangerous relationships that can be established during adolescence. Abuses of power, alcohol and sex are also present, but if something attracts attention it is a phenomenon that is occurring not only in Mexico but also globally: the harassment occurs in such a way that the harassed, the humiliated ... at one point they continue to be harmed, so that their will is canceled.
I have read a comment from Franco stating that we all have trouble communicating, and I agree… maybe if a kidnapped child was heard, maybe if he had a receiver to tell what happens to him, mechanisms could be articulated to stop violence and cruelty. Perhaps at that time the victim would have the opportunity to get out of fear and intolerance, and stalkers to repair the damage they have done.
It is obviously not a movie for young children, but as a mother of two children I am worried about this subject, and I will try to see it. It will premiere in Mexico on October 19, and in the previous days there will be free passes from which information can be obtained here.
Video | Youtube
Image | After Lucia
More information | After Lucia
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