After Lucia

There are lots of people who have no idea about what some children go through in schools.

This needs to be discussed in all homes and classrooms.

It's not easy to watch this movie, especially if you can relate to it even at the tiniest extent. But it's truly worth it. We need to be exposed to this and be open about it, because this is the major problem: silence.

As a Mexican, one can accept that our cinema is not the best and is very limited, but this film, which explores a very real and sensitive topic, portrays it in a raw and heartbreaking way. It's shocking to see how a single person can ruin your adolescence with just one act or rumor, and how this can escalate to a level that becomes sickening and inhumane. This happens in the daily lives of many young people. I feel this film should be shown in high schools and universities to raise awareness about bullying. This movie not only explores these stages but also shows how, after suffering humiliating experiences, people tend to shut themselves off even more from those close to them. So give this film an opportunity and prepare yourself to see a harsh reality. Seek help-you're not alone.

Awarded with the prize "un certain regard" at the Cannes Film Festival, Michel Franco's second film deals with a social problem largely present in cinema: school bullying in the digital age. The shooting and the framing, specially the fix off-camera shots, as well as the long silences, immerse the public into the deepness of Alejandra's emotions (superbly played by Tessa Ia). Rough, bitter and cold, the harassment scenes come one after another and we enter a kind of vicious circle in which freedom does not exist. Any type of rationality, understanding or communication are in vain in this compulsory contemplation of violence whose origin is unknown by the victim and, maybe, even by the aggressors. The lack of communication and the sobriety of the photography provide more realism to the movie. Finally, the long sequence shot at the ending enhances the beauty and coldness of the whole. With "After Lucia", Michel France offers at the same time a pessimist but realistic and universal vision of the world, in which a simple action in the social media can make a durable impact in anyone's life. Full review on our blog Los Indiscretos : https://losindiscretos.org

Clichéd storyline of new girl getting picked on by ss at her new school. No mom, just dad trying to start a new job as a chef. Fairly good acting as father tries to juggle attending to daughter's needs; loss of wife (mom) and job. Fairly good acting on the daughter's part as the abuse at school goes too far. What makes this a little more interesting than other films of this type are the twists and the girl's passiveness which provokes the viewer into asking important questions including the role of the school's administration in monitoring it's ss. A second question was how the father and daughter went about dealing with their own problems. On a critical note I thought the ending could have been stronger/clearer.

An unrealistic approach to the issue of bullying. Too many mistakes here, after the second half the film gets boring with no dialogues and becomes a wanna be forced drama.