Following the sudden death of his mother, 15-year-old Socrates finds himself in desperate circumstances. Living on the outskirts of São Paulo, the hardworking and dependable but short-fused teenager faces mounting debt, forced eviction, and the threat of being relocated into a youth home unless his estranged, barbarous father claims him first. Determined to navigate life outside the system and survive on his own terms, Socrates braves the arduous process of growing up fast amidst fraught conditions, chasing personal freedom, and exploring his sexuality after sparking a steamy romance with a reckless older boy.

Director Alexandre Moratto’s electrifying debut — which garnered him the Someone to Watch Award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards — is an urgent and impressively crafted mosaic of restless adolescence, featuring an explosive performance by newcomer Christian Malheiros, whose tricky balance of wide-eyed vulnerability and stark resilience earned him an Independent Spirit nomination for Best Male Lead. Produced and co-scripted by a crew of 16-20-year-olds from the Querô Institute, a UNICEF-supported non-profit that promotes social inclusion through filmmaking for low-income teenagers, this highly personal and vital drama takes us deep into the world and psyche of its indelible protagonist.