History Lessons

High school teacher Vero is sleepwalking through life, weighed down by chains of habit and ill health. She’s alone in the midst of family—her husband falls asleep in front of the television, her grown children are preoccupied with their own offspring. However, when an electric encounter takes place with the new rebellious student Eva, who is sent to apologize for scratching her teacher’s face, the precocious teen wakes Vero from her slumber. The two embark on an unconventional relationship with nods to both Lolita and Thelma and Louise—a wild ride indeed.

Verónica Langer gives a beautifully understated performance as the teacher who has more going on behind her poker face than any of her students imagine. The camera mirrors Vero’s transformation, establishing her routine with static, airless interiors, which change to pop music montages and hand-held shots as Vero parties with Eva and her friends. Vero and Eva’s relationship transforms as well, its transgressive layers peeling away to reveal these two variant souls as they course-correct their lives.

— MONICA NOLAN

Trailer...

Trailer // Clases de Historia de Marcelino Islas Hernandez from Loco Films on Vimeo.