Modesto (Arevalo) has the ability to communicate with the dead, an ability that he has had since childhood. He thinks he is crazy and is seeing a psychiatrist. His abilities have gotten him fired from seven local schools, but he is uniquely qualified to teach at Monforte High School. For twenty years the school has been haunted by five students that were killed in a fire at the school: delinquent Dani (Maruny), heartthrob jock Jorge (Olias), pregnant Marivi (Duro), bookworm Angela (Castillo) and drunk Pinfloy (Bodalo). They terrorize the school and have turned the once prestigious school into their playground.
Tina (Jimenez), the principal, is willing to do anything to get rid of the ghosts and hires Modesto. Student Elsa begins communicating with Jorge. Otegui (Areces), the head of the parents counsel, is watching everything, and school secretary Manuela (Abril) has her own ideas about how to exercise the ghosts. Can Modesto embrace his gift to help the students and the school and eventually find happiness?
I discovered this film through Netflix's instant streaming. I was pleasantly surprised. This Spanish language film is a marriage of John Hughes high school films and modern raunchy teen flicks. It doesn't seem like it would work, but it does. There is a nice balance of sentimentality (mostly through the heavy use of 80s music in the soundtrack) and humor. The film also succeeds due to the charisma of the cast. Raul Arevalo is charming as Modesto. He is adorably awkward and sincere. The teens are also endearing in their own ways.
The film fully embraces the John Hughes cliches, including some obvious references to his films (see the dance from The Breakfast Club). And while all of the characters fit a cliche, each has a unique personality / voice within the film. It is somewhat predictable, while still throwing some surprises at you.
An enjoyable film with some shocking moments and some laugh-out-loud moments. And no scares despite being a movie about ghosts.
Ghost Graduation [Promocion fantasma] (2012) 88 minutes
Rating: R for sexual content, nudity and language
Director: Javier Ruiz Caldera
Starring: Raul Arevalo as Modesto
Alexandra Jimenez as Tina
Javier Bodalo as Pinfloy
Anna Castillo as Angela
Andrea Duro as Marivi
Aura Garrido as Elsa
Alex Maruny as Dani
Jaime Olias as Jorge
Carlos Areces as Otegui
Silvia Abril as Manuela
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