Life and Nothing More

Andrew’s life is like that of so many black teenagers in America. Brought up by his single mother, he has little or no contact with his father, who is in jail. It’s no wonder that Andrew gets into trouble and crawls into his shell when confronted with the consequences of his deeds.

Welcome to Leon County, Florida. This community has a university, but also the highest number of murders per capita in the whole state. It’s a place where the majority of those arrested are black, half of them teenagers, often children from single-parent homes.

Spanish filmmaker Antonio Méndez Esparza quotes statistics in his director’s vision but transcends them in this intimate and real-life drama. In close co-operation with his non-professional actors, he creates an observing fiction film that often feels like a documentary, in the tradition of Italian neorealism.

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