As much as we like to imagine children being innocent, schoolyard bullying does happen, and sometimes it goes way past the regular teasing and ends up becoming something that could only be described as evil. After Lucia is the story of a girl that has experienced this after the death of her mother, leaving only her and her father behind. While Roberto does try to reach out to her, the death of her mother means the loss of a trusted adult, someone that Alejandra can talk about anything and everything with without judgment. Writer-director Michel Franco gradually escalates the terrible deeds done by Alejandra’s classmates, building up mercilessly that it leads to a terrible end. But ultimately, the ugliness of what happens emphasizes how a lack of open communication, a reluctant school administration, and an ineffective policy towards bullying easily places children in danger.

The bullying. It’s not going to be an easy watch for people who’ve gone through the experience, but by the cake scene, it just feels so visceral that only the ending can truly make things feel right again.