Top Cast
-
Olutunji Ebun-Cole
Joseph
-
Simon O'Driscoll
Christian Kelly
-
Fionn O'Shea
Seth Quinn
-
Sinead Maguire
Hazel O'Hara
-
Norma Sheahan
Teacher Lady
-
Byron Kumbala
Joseph's Father
-
Sade Oyewole
Pamela
-
Daniel Culleton
Student 1
-
Karl Donovan
Student 2
Overview
A young African boy with a haunting backstory starts school in Ireland and quickly finds out exactly what it means to be the new kid. Winner of Best Narrative Short at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival and nominated for an Oscar.
Rating
1 Reviews
-
CinemaSerf7 Mar 21, 2024When "Joseph" (Ulutunji Ebun-Cole) arrives at his new Irish junior school, he is immediately reminded of his school at home (somewhere in Africa) and of the trauma that he experienced there that rather dwarves the petty bullying that he is soon experiencing from two of his classmates. Luckily, the young "Hazel" (Sinead Maguire) takes a bit of a shine to their new boy and her behaviour might just offer a conduit for all to move past their initial hostilities and share a laugh. Aside from anything else, it makes you remember that being a primary school teacher is no walk in the park, but mostly it's a reminder that it's not always the easiest path to make friends - picking fights is often simpler. The kids do quite well here, with a minimum of dialogue, and I did quite enjoy the simplicity of the story.
Recommendations
In this Oscar-winning short film, grieving parents journey through an emotional void as they mourn the loss of a child after a tragic school shooting.
If Anything Happens I Love You
In a small supermarket in a blue collar town, a black man smiles at a 10 year old white boy across the checkout aisle. This innocuous moment sends two gangs into a ruthless war that ends with a shocking backlash.
Skin
Growing up in post-World War II era Arizona, young Sammy Fabelman aspires to become a filmmaker as he reaches adolescence, but soon discovers a shattering family secret and explores how the power of films can help him see the truth.
The Fabelmans
The true story of Mamie Till Mobley's relentless pursuit of justice for her 14-year-old son, Emmett Till, who, in 1955, was lynched while visiting his cousins in Mississippi.
Till
Based on the true story of a black girl who was born to two white Afrikaner parents in South Africa during the apartheid era.
Skin
Diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome at 15, John Davidson navigates his way against the odds through troubled teenage years and into adulthood, finding inspiration in the kindness of others to discover his true purpose in life.
I Swear
The true story of a brilliant but politically radical debate team coach who uses the power of words to transform a group of underdog African-American college students into a historical powerhouse that took on the Harvard elite.
The Great Debaters
Inspired by a true story, “Beyond the Blackboard” is about a 24-year-old first-time teacher who makes a difference in the lives of the homeless children she teaches in a shelter’s makeshift classroom. Set in 1987 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, this movie tells the story a brand-new teacher and Mom who is given a tougher than expected teaching job and winds up teaching homeless children in a school that is housed in a room and called, literally, The School with No Name. She has some personal prejudicial hurdles to cross before she is able to be a true teacher for these children and of course there are hurdles like the lack of books and supplies.
Beyond the Blackboard
An unlikely friendship with a preppy classmate lands toubled teenager Sean Randall in serious hot water when he's falsely accused of planning a Columbine shooting scenario.
Blackbird
"Selma," as in Alabama, the place where segregation in the South was at its worst, leading to a march that ended in violence, forcing a famous statement by President Lyndon B. Johnson that ultimately led to the signing of the Voting Rights Act.