Take a minute to think about this question: who inspires you? For many, there are different answers and several of you can probably cite a laundry list of individuals who fit the role. No matter who helps motivate you – be they real or fictitious, young or old, familiar or not – just one small change can affect the trajectory of our life. It’s probably safe to say we all are and have been inspired by someone in a special or important way.
In an era where superheroes dominate pop cutlure, there is another kind of hero we are happy to call attention to in this post: teachers. There are many schools of thought (figurative and literal) on how someone may impart knowledge on accepting and impressionable minds. But one way of thinking is the basis of this incredible true story told in Radical.
From writer/director Christopher Zalla and actor/producer Eugenio Derbez comes a film inspired by the real life accounts of a teacher connecting with students in ways that were not just new or unconventional, they were, in fact, radical. In the film Derbez plays Sergio Corrora who believes in hope for the students of Matamoros, Mexico when everyone else had given up long ago. This is, in a way, a real-life Ted Lasso who connects with his students to help them achieve things they didn’t think they could even aspired for.
The emotional, ulifitng and tear-jerking story works on many levels, but the core of the story is that teaching is less about telling; it’s more about letting it happen. If habits are formed though repetion, and knowledge is gained by being hungry, to put it in the actual words of the real Paloma portrayed in the film, “no one else ever made it this fun.”
On that note, we had a lot of fun talking to Zalla and Derbez about this crowd-pleasing feature, and are excited to share this interview with you in efforts to help spread word about this truly amazing film.
Actor/Producer Eugenio Derbez
Writer/Director Christopher Zalla
In a Mexican border town plagued by neglect, corruption, and violence, a frustrated teacher (Eugenio Derbez) tries a radical new method to unleash the curiosity and potential of his students… and maybe even their genius. Based on a true story. Winner of the “Festival Favorite” award at the Sundance Film Festival 2023.
Directed by Christopher Zalla, check out RADICAL only in Theaters on November 3.
