Asher, a remedial high school student, struggles with his matriculation exams, anger management issues and his father’s expectations, even as Rami, Asher’s literature teacher, broadens his narrow worldview. This gripping, realist drama stands out among current Israeli cinema, focusing on Israel’s underclass—kids from blue-collar, Sephardic families.

The belligerent and inappropriate Asher has trouble reading as well as with impulse control. His tough, shrewd father employs him in the family scaffolding business, understanding that physical labor helps to channel his son’s energy and aggression and manage his short temper. At school, Asher overhears Rami assigning homework to another group of students, asking them to devise questions for their parents. The assignment inspires him, especially given his fraught relationship with his stern father. But when a sudden tragedy occurs, Asher spirals out of control in his search for a truth he can understand. Scaffolding is based in part on writer/director Matan Yair’s own teaching experience.