The Grown-Ups

Monday, June 12, 2017

New York Premiere!

For almost their entire lives a group of forty-something classmates have grown up together and are reaching the age of 50 with varying degrees of frustration. Anita, Rita, Ricardo and Andrés feel that the school they attend for people with Down’s Syndrome is confining; they long for new challenges, greater independence, and more personal space. Director Maite Alberdi’s observational approach is warm and compassionate, allowing the characters to voice their innermost longings and aspirations. It also perfectly captures the tragic state of limbo in which they are stuck: mature enough to want the pressures and privileges of independent adulthood, yet emotionally and financially ill-equipped to pursue them alone—and ultimately failed by a system that treats them as homogeneously disabled rather than as individuals. Their engaging story is a mixture of heartache and humor, and hope for greater understanding of people with Down’s Syndrome, or anyone whose perceptions and abilities are different from “the norm.”

“I want to be someone, like a homeowner. I want to make enough to keep my home. I want to build a family with someone who makes me feel special. That’s what I’m saving for.” -Ricardo Urzúa, film subject

Screening as part of Human Rights Watch Film Festival.

• Language In Spanish with English subtitles
• Year 2016
• Running Time 82 minutes
• Director Maite Alberdi

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.