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The Secret Diary of an Exchange Student
By Jennifer Green,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Charming Brazilian comedy has some violence, mild language.

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The Secret Diary of an Exchange Student
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What's the Story?
Barbara (Larissa Manoela), a hardworking but low-earning 23-year-old Brazilian still living with her mom, dreams of traveling in THE SECRET DIARY OF AN EXCHANGE STUDENT. When an opportunity to do an exchange program as an au pair presents itself, she convinces best friend Taila (Thali Lopes) to travel to upstate New York with her. This is also where her new "friend with benefits," flight attendant Brad (David Sherod), lives. Barbara is placed with strict single-mom lawyer Sheryll (Kathy-Ann Hart) who works her hard, while Taila, who speaks no English, moves in with an oddball older couple looking for a replacement for their grown missing daughter (Maiara Walsh). Their employee Lucas (Bruno Montaleone), who was born in Brazil and speaks Portuguese, helps serve as a translator and becomes a new love interest for Barbara.
Is It Any Good?
From its sweet, energetic stars to its funny and occasionally earnest commentary on crossing cultures and discovering oneself, this Brazilian comedy is kooky and charming. One of the surprises in The Secret Diary of an Exchange Student is that it maintains its upbeat pace and keeps the laughs coming throughout. Just when you think a flashback about a boy's love affair with his au pair or a subplot about a crazy missing daughter might awkwardly derail the proceedings, they manage to work their way into the admittedly meandering storyline in an amusing and meaningful way. The glue holding the film together is the positive energy and genuine affability of the lead actors, particularly Brazilians Manoela, Lopes, and Montaleone.
Diary also makes some insightful commentary about cross-cultural experiences. We see the US through the Brazilians' eyes -- Taila's conspiracy theories about the American imperialists undermining her country, Barbara's excitement seeing yellow school buses just like in the movies, the family who seems to subsist on bacon, and the apparent injustices of the US immigration system. Zoraia's comment that when you live abroad, you're always missing a piece of something from one or the other of your homes, is so astute. It's also refreshing to see American actors struggling to speak a language not their own, rather than the reverse, which also happens here but isn't as unusual to see on screen.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the switching back and forth of languages in The Secret Diary of an Exchange Student. Have you watched other films where characters speak multiple languages? How did this tie in with the film's messages? How did it affect your viewing experience?
What do you know about the locations in this film -- Rio de Janeiro and upstate New York? Where could you go for more information?
The character of Sheryl goes through a pretty profound transformation. Did this make sense or did it feel forced to bring the story to closure?
Why is Lucas at risk of being deported even though his mother says he was brought to the United States at age 8? Does this seem fair to you? Why or why not?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: August 19, 2021
- Cast: Larissa Manoela , Thali Lopes , David Sherod
- Director: Bruno Garotti
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Comedy
- Topics: Friendship
- Run time: 96 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: February 17, 2023
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