elementary school: grades VIII
secondary school: grades I–IV

Arid Zone
dir. Fernanda Pessoa | Brasil, USA 2019 | 76 min. | film with Polish subtitles

Does the American Dream really exist? Fernanda is a teenager from São Paulo who, like most of us, grew up watching the Hollywood vision of school and growing up, where everyone has equal opportunities for success. Hoping to make this dream a reality, she goes on an exchange program to Mesa, Arizona. It turns out that Mesa is the most conservative city in the USA, and Fernanda is in for a collision with a harsh truth. The 15-year-old unexpectedly wakes up in a place where her background represents danger and scandal. Far from home and her family, the protagonist, who is also the filmmaker, must survive in the desert town of Mesa, where almost everyone carries an assault rifle and doesn’t welcome guests from southern countries.

Topics covered in the film: United States, immigration, racism, conservatism, school