2016 Film

THE OTHER KIDS follows six teenagers as they struggle through their final days of high school in the small, gold rush town of Sonora, CA. ISAAC, a Mexican national abandoned as a child by his family, barely treads water in a culture hostile to non-whites. Poor and living on his own in an abandoned trailer, Isaac works three jobs (landscaping, dishwashing and metalworking), studies hard, and dreams of someday becoming a diplomat. Isaac's girlfriend, SIENNA, a stable-hand and natural cowgirl, is forced to cope not only with the brutal dissolution of her family, but with her parents' violent objections to her relationship with Isaac.

A moving performance by Anthony Heald (Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon, Boston Public) highlights THE STAIRS, as an older man who hires a male escort for company on Christmas Eve. Faced with the realities of his own loneliness, he finds a strange kinship with the young man in this late-night exploration of solitude, intimacy and the basic human need for connection.

Five years ago, the 14-year-old Yuhan killed his abusive father. During the two years probation, he has lived with his paternal grandmother. She always stares at him in silence, and he never knows her real intentions. He just hopes to go back to Seoul.

Derek is a remarkable Scottish painter. He's served in the Navy and the Fire Service - surviving wars, PTSD and cancer. However, his artistic achievements are all the more noteworthy because Derek has a physical disability. This is not revealed until the end of the film - in an effort to put the person before the disability.