The NextGen sidebar of MIFF seems to have consistently provided some gems, and some of the more interesting and entertaining films this year. But unfortunately this slightly disappointing Mexican drama about four teenage boys who form a garage punk rock band is not one of them. There is a Battle of the Bands competition coming up shortly, but the band only has two song in its repertoire. It seems as though Alex (Alejandro Gallardo) is the only one who takes the rehearsals seriously. Alex lives with his elderly grandmother and the band is one of the few forms of release he has. But the rest of the boys in the band seem distracted. Moy (Moises Galindo) is preoccupied with his girlfriend, while Rafa (Rafael Andrado Munoz) has to complete his college application. Alex comes to learn that there are sometimes more important things in life than music. We Are Mari Pepa is the feature film debut for writer/director Samuel Kishi Leope, and is an extension of his short film of the same name. There is a semi-autobiographical element to We Are Mari Pepa. The film deals with some of the usual tropes of the coming of age genre, including friendship, family, loyalty, first sexual experiences, and it also provides some insights into life for disaffected youth in a major Mexican city. Leopo doesn't pull his punches in looking at some of the grimmer realities of life south of the border. However, it is let down by the occasionally creaky structure. There is some unnecessary padding here, and the film seems episodic and sometimes meanders with a couple of subplots that seem to add little. For Leopo, who has incorporated some visual flourishes that really add little to the overall film. Young Gallardo is quite charismatic as Alex and brings a youthful enthusiasm to his performance as a young man having to cope with some difficult choices, and his engaging performance carries the film. And the scenes he shares with his grandmother add a poignant note to the material.