Jaime

When his parents separate, thirteen-year-old Jaime has to live with his mother and a new man in the house. He does not accept it. He becomes convinced there is a way to put the family back together: replacing his father's stolen motorcycle. So he starts working in Porto, hiding it from his mother; because he is under age, the work is unregistered, badly paid and hard. António-Pedro Vasconcelos's film keeps child labour at the centre of the story rather than in the background. Jaime is not drawn as a victim; he is a stubborn, resourceful boy making his own calculations. That is why the film upsets you without asking for pity. It won the Special Jury Prize at San Sebastián and took best film and best director at Portugal's national awards.