TIFF BELL Lightbox - Laurent Cantet and THE CLASS

Special this coming Wednesday at TIFF Lightbox:

The critically acclaimed French filmmaker Laurent Cantet will be at TIFF Bell Lightbox for a special screening of his film The Class (Entre les murs) next Wednesday May 18, 2011 at 7pm. Cantet will introduce his film and following the screening will present an in-depth discussion on the process of making The Class (Entre les murs).

Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, Cantet’s The Class (Entre les murs) is a bracingly intelligent and quietly powerful docudrama that captures the challenges, triumphs and tragedies of the modern-day classroom. Real-life teacher and novelist François Bégaudeau plays himself in this fictionalized version of his own experiences instructing a racially mixed class from a disadvantaged Parisian neighbourhood. Subverting the usual pattern of the inspirational-teacher genre, Cantet pointedly illustrates how the students can teach, challenge and enlighten Bégaudeau as much as he can them.

ENTRE LES MURS (THE CLASS) (France 2008) ***** Top 10

Directed by Laurent Cantet

Winner of the 2008 Palme d’Or at Cannes, ENTRE LES MURS (THE CLASS) lives up to its reputation for being the first French film in 21 years to win the prestigious prize.  Director Laurent Cantet (TIME OUT) blends a documentary style into real life realistic drama that takes place in a tough Paris high school.

The action takes place in the course of a school year.  As the film begins, the viewer sees various teachers (most of whom have positive attitudes) enter the school premises.  During the introductory staff meeting, the teachers are revealed as decent human beings, with high hopes as well as shortcomings.  As they face their classes, the audience is slowly drawn into the drama that ensues.

Cantet and writer Francois Begaudeau (an actual teacher and author whose book the film is based) concentrates the action in his class.  (Francois stars as himself in the film playing the role of the English teacher.) Most of the scenes are long acts that take place either in the class or a staff meeting.  What draws the audience to the drama is the fact that what takes place on screen is down to earth problems that deal with today’s youth.  One diligent Asian student is ridiculed by his classmates for being behind in his French while most argue the relevance of the use of the ‘subjontif’ in French grammar.  A rebellious African student is shown in a different light when his mother (who is unable to speak a word of French) is brought in to see the disciplinary committee.  The French taught by Francois in the class is also interesting for myself who have learnt the language for 3 years and have been given a revision lesson.

As with Cantet’s previous films TIME OUT and HUMAN RESOURCES, he proves his mettle with films dealing with human drama.  He draws the viewer quickly into the action aided by Francois Begaudeau’s acting.  Despite the documentary style, ENTRE LES MURS is full of spirit and mostly life.  And Cantet and Begaudeau show the triumph of the human spirit in an everyday setting besieged by problems caused by race and diversity.  This is a gem of a film that deserves the grand prize it won at Cannes.