Conducta

Ernesto Daranas : 2014
Behaviour

Eleven-year-old Chala lives alone with his alcoholic mother. To make ends meet, he raises pigeons and trains fighting dogs with his neighbour, who's possibly his biological father. He feels a close connection to his ageing sixth grade teacher Carmela who, after falling ill, is replaced by a new teacher who imposes a strict disciplinary regime in class. The young teacher Marta decides that the energetic boy needs to be disciplined at an institution for re-education, a decision Carmela vehemently opposes. When Carmela starts a campaign to get him back, the bond between teacher and student grows stronger, but she is confronted by a school administration that sees her as a threat to the values and ambitions they have for a new Cuba. Ernesto Daranas's second feature was the winner of multiple awards at its European premiere at Festival de Málaga de Cine Español 2014, and screened at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2014.