The Substitute review: A gritty and sharply written Argentinian drama | Films | Entertainment

Lucio (an excellent Juan Minujín) is a skint poet who takes a job as a substitute literature teacher at a tough Buenos Aires school. Early attempts to hook the kids with the
classics fail miserably but he gets a chance to save one of his students when the kid incurs the wrath of local drug baron and wannabe mayor El Perro.

Dylan (Lucas Arrua) deals drugs for El Perro and commits the cardinal sin of bringing them into school and getting caught. When El Perro decides to kill the boy, it falls to Lucio to save the teenager.

While we cover familiar territory, this gritty, sharply written Argentinian drama takes us on some very interesting detours.

• The Substitute, Cert 15, In cinemas now