Spanish GCSE Study Day: Cobardes ( Published: 05/02/2024)

As part of the school’s vision to equip students with the skills, abilities, attributes and qualifications to be active, global citizens, we took Year 11 GCSE Spanish students to a screening of the acclaimed Spanish film Cobardes (and study session) at HOME cinema in Manchester.

Our Year 11 trip to HOME, a renowned cultural establishment in Manchester, was a great success. The session was led by Carmen Herrero (Principal Lecturer in Spanish Studies and Subject Lead for Languages at Manchester Metropolitan University). TEMA students actively engaged in the study session on the complex themes of the film, its context, and the linguistic challenges that it presented.

The session included a screening of the film Cobardes, which revolves around a 14 year-old, Gaby, who is a victim of constant bullying, but his family and his teachers aren’t aware of his situation. As the adults in Gaby’s world struggle with their own personal bullies, Gaby turns to pizza shop owner, Silverio, whose advice creates further problems.

After the screening of the film, our Year 11 students demonstrated their REACH Values of hard work and ambition, by sharing their insights with various other Manchester schools. Clarissa alluded to the importance of biblical references – ‘un ojo por un ojo’ (an eye for an eye) – in the film’s exploration of themes of revenge and retribution; while Jeremy noted how the pivotal scene in which the young protagonist witnesses the harsh reality of workplace bullying, helps us to realise the universality of the film’s anti-bullying message.