Radical: An Emotionally Impactful Hit [Review]

Eugenio Derbez’s new movie, Radical, has been a hit with audiences and critics, winning several awards at film festivals. The movie, which is based on a Wired Magazine article, tells the true story of a Mexican teacher who used unconventional methods to help his students succeed.

‘Radical’ leaves an emotional impact

The movie has an emotional impact that stays with you long after watching the film. It shines a light on the importance of investing in these underserved communities. And hopefully, it will open up conversations around education itself. As the film’s trailer points out, not much has changed in education in the last hundred years.

Radical is based on a Wired magazine article by Joshua Davis about a Mexican teacher named Sergio Juárez Correa who used unconventional methods to help his students succeed. The article focused on one of Juárez Correa’s students, math prodigy Paloma Noyola Bueno (played by Jennifer Trejo), who received the highest math score in the country. The students in Juárez Correa’s class not only outperformed previous test results but also surpassed the national average. Davis was intrigued by the story and felt that Radical questions bureaucracies and our roles in modern society.

The movie’s star, beloved Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez, spoke on the impact that the film made on him personally. He told us in a recent interview that he was so moved by the making of the film, that he has begun to talk with government officials both in Mexico and the United States in an attempt to start a conversation on how to advance education. Derbez, who is considered one of Mexico’s most successful Mexican actors, tends to star in more comedy-driven roles. Playing teacher Sergio Juárez Correa will be Derbez’s first starring dramatic role. Derbez is no stranger to emotional acting, but Radical is not a typical film for him. This film is as heartbreaking as it is inspiring. And Derbez excels in bringing Sergio Juárez Correa to life.

‘Radical’ stars steal our hearts

One of the things that I appreciated the most about the film was how well cast it was. The young actors who play Nico, Paloma, and Lupe (Danilo Guardiola, Jennifer Trejo, and Mia Fernanda Solis) really held their own around a world-class actor like Derbez. Throughout the film, I was drawn to the performances of some of the children chosen as background actors. All of which did an amazing job of being authentic on screen, maybe because the on-set world so closely related to their actual lives. During a recent interview with Derbez and director Christopher Zalla, they told us about how the casting process resulted in finding an actor within the same town they filmed.

Although young, they are able to really pull the audience in with their performances. Throughout the film, you are charmed by the children. You start to really believe in their plight and you root for them. But mainly their innocence and their warmth steal your heart. So much so that some of the film’s darker moments will leave the audience in tears. The young actors in the film, specifically Danilo Guardiola, Jennifer Trejo, and Mia Fernanda Solis’ journey mirror the potential of their on-screen counterparts. In the film, a teacher in one of the most forgotten and underfunded schools in Mexico is able to unlock their academic potential. Similarly, the young actors didn’t necessarily set out to become Hollywood stars. Yet through this project, they too were able to unlock their artistic potential.

Radical was released in Mexico on October 19 and became the #1 box office hit, holding that spot all week. It opens in over 400 theaters in the United States and Puerto Rico on November 3.

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Eugenio Derbez On Taking On A More Dramatic Role In ‘Radical’ [Interview]