Els nens salvatges (2012)

Ferreira’s elegant triptych of coming-of-age tales follows three teenage friends and their individual struggles to define themselves amidst hard family conditions and a seemingly indifferent society: Graffiti artist Alex, ignored by his parents and faced with the mounting living expenses for an art grant he wins; kickboxer Gabi, who lives in fear of his domineering gym-owner father; and wealthy Oki, who lives comfortably but without affection from her parents. “The sins of parents and teachers are visited on their progeny and students in this largely subtle, compassionate, and perceptive take on bad education affecting a trio of Catalan teens... An engrossing drama as well as an urgent cry for social change.”

In this tale of teenage rebellion with tragic consequences, Alex, Gabi and Oki do their best to deal with the pressures of school and home life, with parents and teachers who struggle to understand or control their behaviour. Like any other teenagers, they like to spend their time pushing the limits that their parents and society enforce on them; drinking, fighting and creating graffiti art. Director Patricia Ferreira’s portrait of teenage life asks why certain kids are feared and labelled ‘wild’, and suggests that ultimately this attitude causes more problems than it solves