The Grown-Ups

At a Chilean school for people with Down syndrome, the kitchen swells with delicious cupcakes and the social sphere with rapidly shifting emotional reactions. The days are crammed with drama! The friends Anita, Andrés, Rita and Ricardo have spent their last 40 years in the same class room, and now that they are getting close to 50, their dreams and desires feel more important than ever: To obtain a job that can pay a rent, break out of their parents' control, become independent, marry and have children. The lovebirds Anita and Andrés are desperate after some privacy, which is difficult to get as they both live together with their old parents, and they are planning their wedding despite the fact that neither their families nor the authorities approve of the marriage. One day Andrés announces news that will provoke difficult feeling among his classmates.

This story about a pretty weird group of friends and their ups and downs in life is certainly humorous and charming. Director Maite Alberdi carries no prejudice and portrays with honesty how people with Down syndrome act and express themselves, and how they cope with being incapacitated by their family members and in the society in general. The concept “responsible adults” echoes as the mantra of the classroom to strengthen the students’ self-image, but Anita, Andrés, Rita and Ricardo’s frustration grows as they realise how limited they are in terms of self-determination, sexuality, and lifestyle. You will most likely laugh, sob, giggle, and tear your hair out all at the same time watching this film. Guaranteed, though, is a smile in the corner of your mouth throughout. Silje Poulsen Viki

Director Maite Alberdi is known for her characteristic signature that brings forth intimate portrayals of the characters she works with, through everyday stories in small-scale worlds. In 2011 she premiered her first feature documentary The Lifeguard at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, and has since received awards for her films Tea Time (2016) and I’m Not From Here (2016).