The English Lessons
The English Lessons
The quest to be somebody at any cost
Nominations and awards
I always thought it would be better to be a fake somebody than a real nobody.
“The Talented Mr. Ripley” Patricia Highsmith.
Synopsis
Roberto, a Latino immigrant, struggles to find work teaching English. Discrimination based on his appearance leads him to straighten and dye his hair blond. Even then, he faces rejection until Dolores, an anthropologist claiming to be ill from a New Guinea field assignment, hires him for online lessons but vanishes without paying.
Roberto and another unpaid teacher, Kim, track Dolores to a suburban avenue, uncovering her true identity and tragic end.
Director
John Petrizzelli
Journalist, screenwriter and film director. Petrizzelli has written and directed fiction and documentary films. Among his most important productions are: Falsas Historias (1992), Carrao (1998), and the feature films: María Lionza, Aliento de Orquídeas, Er Relajo der Loro, El Santo Salvaje, Ti@s and Bárbara produced between 2007 and 2018 and the shorts Don Fernando, Inmaculada and El Pozo between 2019 and 2023. He has also written the narrative books Negro Lógico (1988), Historias para las Posibilidades del Músculo (2017) and El Conjuro de los Cardos (2020)
The English Lessons is an introspective short film by Italian-Venezuelan director John Petrizzelli. The film addresses a Latino immigrant's struggle against racism and discrimination in a foreign country, reflecting the director's autobiographical experiences. With a unique narrative and original music, it promotes inclusion and makes visible the abilities of actors with disabilities from the group Telón Inclusión de Cádiz.