Directed by Diego Lerman, The Substitute is a school
drama in the tradition of Blackboard Jungle and
Dangerous Minds. The film stars Juan Minujín as a substitute teacher assigned to a tough Buenos
Aires school. There he finds himself making an enemy of a local gang when
one of his pupils lands in trouble.
Lerman describes his film as being about "the survival and the struggle of adolescents to enter a society that is
extremely hostile to those who lack support and basic life conditions the
most."
The Substitute is in UK cinemas from January 20th,
2023.
Check out the trailer and poster below.
The official synopsis reads:
Recently appointed substitute literature teacher Lucio (Juan Minujín) needs to work hard to find a way to connect with the minds - and the realities - of students at a tough Buenos Aires high school. He also has big shoes to fill: those of his ailing father, known as “El Chileno” (Alfredo Castro), a well-loved community organiser who is about to open a soup kitchen, years in the making, but is constantly being threatened by a local gang as they seek total control of the area through drugs and corrupt politics. When one of his students lands in trouble with the local kingpin, Lucio has to step out from his teaching duties to protect both the teenager and the fragile bond he’s forging with his pupils.
