Socrates

Alexandre Moratto's 2018 Brazilian film is set in Santos on the São Paulo coast. Sócrates, fifteen, is left alone when his mother dies suddenly and has to handle grief and survival at the same time. He is caught between informal work, the search for somewhere to live, and having to act like an adult while the state insists on treating him as a child; being gay makes that isolation heavier still. The film came out of a project run through the Querô Institute with UNICEF support, in which teenagers from low-income neighbourhoods took part in the writing, production and performance. Christian Malheiros carries the lead in his first film. It drew several Independent Spirit Award nominations and won Moratto the prize for a director to watch. Who it's for: viewers seeking Brazilian social realism and queer coming-of-age stories. Who it's not for: anyone wanting a hopeful ending; the film makes nothing easy.