El ultimo vagon

"El Ultimo Vagon" is set in rural Mexico and gives us a little portrait of the lives of the young students of Georgina, the teacher who is determined to improve their lives.

Their parents are railroad workers who toil for long days to extend the Mexican rail system. The protagonist here is young Ikal who cannot read and is taken under Georgina's wing possibly because he reminds her of her long deceased son. Ikal's family needing to move so often conspired towards keeping him illiterate.

Although the pacing may be slow in spots, the performances and the genuine tenderness for the source material is clearly there under the capable direction of Ernesto Contreras.

We venture into the past and future until we understand who is who and then understand why the payoff is very much worth the wait.

On Netflix.