Pegame pero llevame

(Hit Me but Take Me with You)
by Romina Romano Bustos
30', Mini DV, Italy, 2006

On a rocky upper plain, lost in the mountains of Argentina, for the many small villages hidden away in the mountains, there is only one elementary school. But it is too far away to reach every day. So, for the students of this mountain school the only way to attend lessons regularly is to live within the school walls. Even if this means leaving their families, which is difficult for such young children. Following the daily life of the small community in the school – moments of studying, play, daily chores – we become aware of the bonds that form among the children, but above all of the cultural distance between them and the teachers who live with them in the school. The children grow up together, playing, singing, and laughing. But each of them is only waiting for the last day of lessons, when they can finally return home.

Romina Romano Bustos
Born in 1976, Romina Romano Bustos holds an acting diploma from the Universidad Nacional of Tucumán, and another as a production technician for audio-visual media from the Universidad Nacional of Córdoba. She has taught video production for film and television at numerous private institutions and university seminars in Argentina.