Behavior

Watch "Behavior" (Conducta, 2014) online on iFILM — a Cuban social drama from director Ernesto Daranas, Cuba's official submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Eleven-year-old Chala keeps pigeons on his rooftop, trains dogs for underground fights, and mostly raises himself while his mother drinks. His sixth-grade teacher Carmela is the one adult who treats him like he matters.

When Carmela falls ill and a substitute takes over, Chala is packed off to a reform school within a week. Carmela fights to bring him back — and that single act of loyalty gives the school board exactly the pretext they need to push her into retirement. Daranas builds the film around a quiet injustice: a system that penalizes the adults who refuse to give up on kids like Chala. Stream "Behavior" (2014) on iFILM.