The We and the I (Michel Gondry, 2012)

Gondry turns his eye on a bunch of black and Latino teenagers in New York, homeward bound on a bus on the last day of school. The director has proven time and time again that he places a high value on the smallest of people and their stories, and this credo is acutely tested by the kids put before the camera: they are loud, squabbling and vacuous, and for a large part of the film the viewer will have to fight an urge to get off the bus before the last stop. Finally, the passengers do thin out and then something more delicate emerges. The performances by a non-star cast are wholly naturalistic and Gondry's trademark semi-fantastical flashbacks and other digressions provide some relief and wit, but it's doubtful whether the end justifies the journey.

5/10