Monsieur Lazhar (2011)

As a teacher I was deeply impressed by this movie. It says in a delicate but clear way sometruths about our profession. In particular I was stunned by the profound true paranoia about physical contact with children. And I was very annoyed by the interference of families in teaching. I quote: "We prefer that you teach our daughter, not try to raise her."This happens daily in real life: family think that children are their intouchable property. Here in Italy almost daily we get news about relatives who go to school and threaten and even beat teachers!Furthermore this movie deals with doing the right thing. Some parents hate the new teacher and when they discover that he has not the right papers they get him fired. This is legally "right" but it is unfair from the point of view of the children who suffer two losses.I loved this movie for the fine acting, the right pace, the freedom it gives to the viewers to make an opinion by themselves. And my conclusion is that the main character had no titles to teach and he had to be fired even if he was fine and he was the right person for the class. But this is sad, really sad.

Monsieur Lazhar (2011)A very straightforward, somewhat predictable film that is so nicely made, and has such an oddly charming main character, you'll likely go along happily all the way. I don't think it's some kind of gem or masterpiece, as much as I was thrilled at the ending, which means it built me up beautifully up to that point.We might see two common genres mixed here. One is the school drama, with the inevitable starring teacher and a student or two who causes trouble, either literally or of the illicit love type. Then there is the immigrant story, especially an illegal, and the necessary subterfuges and adaptations all around. So the main character, Bachir, is a newly arrived Algerian immigrant who lands, by charm and perseverance, a job as a teacher in the a Montreal school. He is replacing a woman who committed suicide by hanging herself in her classroom (with the students at recess).All this is told quickly, with high drama of course (suicide is none but). And there is a tragic desperation injected right away. Even the students carry this on, traumatized and yet still children, fussing and jerking their way forward in their own odd (and lovable) ways.So the teacher adjusts, slowly, getting to the know the students and their psychological trappings. He also is coming to terms with his own situation (a couple of dull immigration meetings are shown, and though maybe necessary, maybe not). Other teachers watch and sometimes help, or try to get to know him. He meanwhile wins over the reclucant class of kids.I'm actually telling a bit of the story and leaving out what matters most—the compelling leading man, who is a show of his own, restrained and awkward and sympathetic. But I'm also letting on that these events are one we've seen many times before. There are some small twists, and there is a high level of steady (and sincere) competence at work, but we do have a familiar tale at the bottom.Well done? Yes. Commanding? Mostly, yes. Moving and new? Sometimes. It's worth seeing if you like low key, serious, contemporary films.

A grade school in Quebec has unexpectedly lost a teacher. Mr. Lazhar, a recent immigrant from Algeria, aggressively pursues the vacant position and lands the job. What follows avoids the overt sentimentality frequently on display in the teacher vs. students genre. In fact there is a tendency to underplay the emotion, which I found to be effective.Lazhar gives no hint to his class that he is privately dealing with his own loss, but he is finely attuned to what the students are going through. He gently tries to encourage the students to talk about what has happened at the school, in spite of the official policy of trying to suppress any mention of it. An ongoing theme is to show how official school policies tend to block communication between student and teacher. Any sort of physical contact is forbidden, all the way from a gentle slap on the head, to a pat on the back, to (heaven forbid) a hug. I particularly liked how small scenes add context and depth, like the fifteen-second scene that shows the school janitor shooting hoops on the school grounds, or Lazhar doing exercises in his apartment while reading a book, or Lazhar drying clothes on a rack in his apartment. There are moving scenes such as the one where Lazhar looks at a photo of his children, inter-cut with images of some of his students, the implication being that his children and his students share a place in his mind. The editing is terse with scenes ending without unnecessary elaboration.The children, eleven and twelve year olds, are natural actors. Put me in front of a camera at that age and I would have been as stiff as a board. It amazed me that the main boy was so powerful in one of the climactic scenes. These kids are not little angels, but I suspect that most grade school teachers would envy how well behaved they are.The experiences that Lazhar has as an immigrant in a different culture provide an interesting subtext. He speaks French, but, according to the students, a prehistoric version. They delight in correcting him. There is a fantastic scene were, alone in his classroom and listening to music from a school party coming from another room, Lazhar does a subtle little dance that gives some insight into what he had been like in his native land. Some classical chamber music, as well as original music by Martin Léon, provide eloquent accompaniment for the overall restrained approach.This movie drew me in and fully engaged me from beginning to end.

In Montreal, an Algerian immigrant (with his own tragic past) takes up the teaching post left vacant by a woman who hung herself in her classroom. Superb slice-of-life approach captures the place and the mood perfectly as we see how this new teacher helps the students through their varying degrees of trouble and heartache. Though mostly subtle, the film is not without some emotional powder-keg scenes, especially where a young boy finally breaks down in class and reveals his true emotions.Discerning viewers will find much to chew on as moments in the film are rendered both troubling and comforting while appealing all too closely to real life.Check out full reviews at theschleicherspin.com