Stalin Boys

Four middle school boys in a tiny Texas border town channel an unlikely obsession with Joseph Stalin into a history fair play about tyranny.

Armed with cardboard props and fur hats bought online, a group of Mexican-American children write a play about the Soviet dictator and his efforts to crush all opposition. The boys bring authentic, sharp young perspectives to their subject, wrestling with what makes a dictator and what happens when people are taken from their homes. For some, the connection to Stalin's story turns out to be unexpectedly personal. Stalin Boys is disarmingly funny, from chaotic rehearsals to debates about whether Stalin looks Mexican, while exploring much deeper meanings. For four boys leaving home for the first time to compete as underdogs, their young voices carry questions that feel a lot bigger than a school project.