The Class (B or 3/4 stars)
Actual teacher & novelist Francois Begaudeau plays himself (or a version of himself) as he wades his way through a year with his multicultural students in a tough Parisian neighborhood in 'The Class'; nominated for Best Foreign film of 2008. Francois & his not-so-esteemed colleagues have prepared for a new year in their school district. The teachers chat with each other about new students, returning students, good ones, bad ones, etc. They want to inspire the kids, but each teacher has different methods/ways of dealing with the unruly ones. Cultures & attitudes clash in the classroom both btwn. students & teacher/students. Administration tries to be fair; even letting student representatives sit in on the student evaluation committee (which winds up being a bad idea later on in the film). How should the good students be praised? How should the bad ones be disciplined?
Francois' leads a class of 14 & 15 yr. olds. His job doesn't pay great, but he seems to love both his job & the challenges it brings; ardently trying to be nice, hip, & loose with his kids. Most of the time he is successful. Sometimes, not. It's the "not's" which makes up the plot of this movie. Though Francois likes to keep things loose, he also insists on respect & diligence. But Francois' way of teaching is really put to the test when some of his students begin to challenge his in-class methods. And when pushed to a breaking point, he does something that he wishes he'd never done.
What's so interesting about this film is it's utilization of non-professional actors, and - what seems to be - a partly improvised script. It would have to be. I felt like a fly on the classroom wall throughout this whole movie; making it seem like a documentary. If no one had told me that this movie was adapted from a novel, I would have absolutely figured it to be a documentary. Francois Begaudeau does an amazing job playing himself. That sounds weird. But as the writer & lead actor, we really feel for Francois as he candidly tries to do the right things with/for his students. The teacher is a hard-working professional who honestly believes that open dialogue with his kids is the best way to teach them lessons. But with this class, this year, it backfires. The kids don't fall for his gimmick. They jeer, talk back, become sarcastic, lazy & give Francois no respect. Believe it or not, there is potent dramatic tension that comes from these scenarios.
Tough guy Soulemayne (Franck Keita) has some issues at home. And they translate in the classroom setting. Confrontational, lude, crude, repeat offender (with other teachers), Soulemayne starts in with his classmates AND Francois. Francois had high hopes for him (talented painter), but Soulemayne just seems to be a irredeemably bad seed. Koumba (Rachel Regulier) is a student who was in Francois' class last year, but has returned a different person. Now, she's angry, indignant, & thinks she's being shown no respect by her teacher(s). Wei (Wei Huang) is the class' best student, but his mom is facing deportation for being an illegal immigrant in France. And Esmeralda (Esmeralda Ouertani) is just a b*tch; putting Francois in a vulnerable position with administration.
Some of the storylines are resolved; most are not. But the film is less about conflict & closure than it is about showing a microcosm of contemporary junior/high school life. Tensions are high: socially & economically. Racial & ethnic resentments come to a boil. The students are miserable. Proper discipline has gone out the window. Francois tries too hard; his brand of teaching is not conducive to learning with this particular batch of students ... period. And though the setting here is France, the movie shows that this could (and does) happen in every suburb of any city across the world. 'The Class' grew on me the more it went along. It's a very talky movie; never boring, but sometimes hit & miss with its dramatic narrative. When it's good, it's very good, & very effective. And it's not like Hollywood films about one teacher making a difference.
My main issue with this film, though, is that it doesn't offer anything new that we don't already know. The documentary technique is used extremely well; feels very authentic. The acting by Francois and all the kids is phenomenal. But I learned very little. We know kids can be brutal. We know teachers are losing their patience/control. And we know that after the trials & tribulations of each year, that the next year will - more than likely - bring the same problems, if not worse. Education is no longer all about rulers, pencils, chalkboards, & quizzes. It's a minefield of awkward interactions, insolent students, inept teachers, lackadaisical parents & frustrating situations. I would not want to become a teacher in this day & age.
Francois' leads a class of 14 & 15 yr. olds. His job doesn't pay great, but he seems to love both his job & the challenges it brings; ardently trying to be nice, hip, & loose with his kids. Most of the time he is successful. Sometimes, not. It's the "not's" which makes up the plot of this movie. Though Francois likes to keep things loose, he also insists on respect & diligence. But Francois' way of teaching is really put to the test when some of his students begin to challenge his in-class methods. And when pushed to a breaking point, he does something that he wishes he'd never done.
What's so interesting about this film is it's utilization of non-professional actors, and - what seems to be - a partly improvised script. It would have to be. I felt like a fly on the classroom wall throughout this whole movie; making it seem like a documentary. If no one had told me that this movie was adapted from a novel, I would have absolutely figured it to be a documentary. Francois Begaudeau does an amazing job playing himself. That sounds weird. But as the writer & lead actor, we really feel for Francois as he candidly tries to do the right things with/for his students. The teacher is a hard-working professional who honestly believes that open dialogue with his kids is the best way to teach them lessons. But with this class, this year, it backfires. The kids don't fall for his gimmick. They jeer, talk back, become sarcastic, lazy & give Francois no respect. Believe it or not, there is potent dramatic tension that comes from these scenarios.
Tough guy Soulemayne (Franck Keita) has some issues at home. And they translate in the classroom setting. Confrontational, lude, crude, repeat offender (with other teachers), Soulemayne starts in with his classmates AND Francois. Francois had high hopes for him (talented painter), but Soulemayne just seems to be a irredeemably bad seed. Koumba (Rachel Regulier) is a student who was in Francois' class last year, but has returned a different person. Now, she's angry, indignant, & thinks she's being shown no respect by her teacher(s). Wei (Wei Huang) is the class' best student, but his mom is facing deportation for being an illegal immigrant in France. And Esmeralda (Esmeralda Ouertani) is just a b*tch; putting Francois in a vulnerable position with administration.
Some of the storylines are resolved; most are not. But the film is less about conflict & closure than it is about showing a microcosm of contemporary junior/high school life. Tensions are high: socially & economically. Racial & ethnic resentments come to a boil. The students are miserable. Proper discipline has gone out the window. Francois tries too hard; his brand of teaching is not conducive to learning with this particular batch of students ... period. And though the setting here is France, the movie shows that this could (and does) happen in every suburb of any city across the world. 'The Class' grew on me the more it went along. It's a very talky movie; never boring, but sometimes hit & miss with its dramatic narrative. When it's good, it's very good, & very effective. And it's not like Hollywood films about one teacher making a difference.
My main issue with this film, though, is that it doesn't offer anything new that we don't already know. The documentary technique is used extremely well; feels very authentic. The acting by Francois and all the kids is phenomenal. But I learned very little. We know kids can be brutal. We know teachers are losing their patience/control. And we know that after the trials & tribulations of each year, that the next year will - more than likely - bring the same problems, if not worse. Education is no longer all about rulers, pencils, chalkboards, & quizzes. It's a minefield of awkward interactions, insolent students, inept teachers, lackadaisical parents & frustrating situations. I would not want to become a teacher in this day & age.