Misfit
2021 · Directed by Orlando Herrera
Original language: Spanish
- comedy
- romance
The story
Julia, a teenager from Latin America, has lived in the U.S. most of her life. She is popular, a successful Youtuber and wants to become prom queen. Everything changes abruptly when her family has to return to Ecuador. What will she have to face? Getting used to a new culture and a catholic high school will not be easy. The "gringa" becomes the target of "La Reinas", three popular bullies who rule the school. Julia is now a misfit who will have to earn her new friends' affection in order to survive.
What it’s like
Bright, saturated daylight on school corridors and sunlit courtyards, with a snappy handheld energy when the social stakes spike and softer, warmer framing in the quieter moments with new friends. Colours lean toward candy pinks, sunny yellows and the faded uniform greys of a Catholic school in the Andes, and the camera stays close to its characters, often catching them mid-reaction in shared frames. The sound is upbeat pop and playful incidental music, with bursts of Spanish and English trading back and forth, plus the clatter of lockers and school bells. The vibe is breezy and wry, a light teen comedy with a tender undercurrent about being out of place. Pacing is brisk, and the emotional register stays warm and hopeful: a girl who has lost her footing slowly finds her way among people who first seemed unwelcoming. Some teasing, cliquish cruelty and playground-style humiliation, but no violence or gore, and nothing sexual beyond light teen romance. Suited to a comfortable weekend watch, or for viewers who enjoy high school rivalries, talent-show stakes and fish-out-of-water stories.
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