Review of Monsieur Lazhar (2011) by Christopher Llewellyn R — 23 Nov 2012

An Oscar nominee for 2011 Best Foreign Film, Monsieur Lazhar is an effective and moving drama about an Algerian immigrant in Quebec, struggling to overcome a deep personal loss, who copes with it by becoming a teacher in a school where the students must deal with their own serious tragedy: the in-school suicide of their previous teacher. Like many films about non-conformist educators who strive to reach out to their pupils and confront bureaucracies that stymie them - "Dead Poets Society" and "Les choristes" among them - Monsieur Lazhar has, at its center, an extremely appealing and charismatic protagonists, in this case played by the very affecting Mohamed Fellag.

I loved this movie for about two thirds of its approximately 90 minutes. But then, towards the end, when I realized just how irresponsible the titular character's behavior actually is - I'll avoid major plot spoilers here - the film lost some of my good will. True, the director remains neutral, to some degree, and avoids judging anyone, but I was nevertheless disappointed that we hadn't spent more time trying to understand Bachir Lazhar's motivations (even just 5 more minutes), After all, when a mature adult works out his issues through the medium of working with children, those actions have extremely large and reverberating consequences.

I didn't mind the complexities of the story and the lack of simple answers - in fact, I embraced them and was grateful for them, since so often American films avoid these kinds of nuances - but I wished that we, the audience, were allowed just a little more of a cathartic release at the end. I appreciated the final hug between Lazhar and his star pupil (played by the precocious Sophie Nelisse), and maybe that was enough (as was her own final moment with her classmate Simon, played with just the right amount of bravado and vulnerability by Emilien Neron). I just know that I was left in want of a slightly more satisfying conclusion. Perhaps, over time, I will come to a more charitable interpretation of the ending. For now, however, I was left wanting more, and left thinking that Monsieur Lazhar had gotten off easy. A film like 2008's "Entre les murs" does a better job, in my mind, of confronting the teacher and holding him accountable.

I still think it's a film worth watching, if for no other reason than to enjoy 60 minutes of great cinema, and to enjoy some fine performances by the lead adult and the two leading children.