Treating youngsters with respect and demanding respect in return is the astute and impressive ethos of Las Delicias, an agro-technical boarding school in the Argentina countryside in the province of Entre Ríos, where more than 120 youngsters live, learn and play together.
As well as their compulsory lessons and activities related to farm work, during their years at the school they have to learn to grow up on their own, without parental supervision, encouraged by supportive and gently compassionate school staff to behave with good grace and manners based on a principle of a collective will and desire to live well together.
They will experience friendship, responsibility, bodily change in their bodies and a bond with the animals and nature that surrounds them. It is a transition from childhood to young adulthood, with each youngster tackling it in their own way.
Las Delicias is one of the first agro-technical schools in Argentina (a location just a few kilometers from the city where director Eduardo Crespo was born and raised) with the filmmaker shooting in traditional fly-on-the-wall style and clearly having developed a good informal relationship with both staff and pupils.
The film essentially charts a period of one year, and right from the start lead teacher Dante discusses a lost mobile phone with one boy. The subtext is that it may have been ‘stolen’ but the teacher couches things in terms of mutual respect and the principle of helping. The students are seen gathering produce from their farm and selling to local people; rough play out in the fields; video games in their dorm rooms at night and looking after animals.
Like all youngsters they are a varied group. Some come from a rural background and are at ease within their environment while others come from the city and a little more street savvy. One youngster bonds with animals – he wanders around with an injured bird perched on his head and makes warm clothing for stray dogs – while others worry about growing pains.
In another telling scene a group of 10 boys are called in by Dante to discuss the lost mobile telephone. The theme of his chat is of fellowship and friendship and values, adding that “if you are better the world is better.” He sends them away adding that he expects them to think further and expects the phone to be returned quietly. On the final day of term he tells the gathered students that the phone (and a lost wallet) has been returned…to a round of applause from all of the youngsters.
There are certain similarities to Neasa Ní Chianáín and Declan McGrath’s recent film Young Plato, which focusses on an inspirational teacher at a Northern Ireland boys school. With The Delights (Las Delicias) there is no challenging the students with lessons on philosophy, but there is a shared attitude to treating the youngsters with compassion and understanding, and calmly discussing issues rather than being confrontational and strident with the students.
The Delights might lack a real dramatic arc, but is gently inspirational and offers a watchable insight into a school aimed at helping and developing youngsters in the best way possible.
Argentina, 2021, 65mins
Dir/scr Eduardo Crespo
Production Primera Casa
International sales Square Eyes
Producers Santiago Jose Loza, Eduardo Crespo, Lorena Moriconi
Cinematography Eduardo Crespo
Editor Lorena Moriconi
