Review of Monsieur Lazhar (2011) by V H — 16 May 2012

It's recess at a Montreal elementary school and the playground is filled with kids. Simon, a 6th grade boy, goes back in early because it's his turn to deliver milk to his classroom. Finding the door locked, he peers into the room and makes a gruesome discovery: The body of his class' beloved teacher, Martine, is dangling from the ceiling.

Several days later, the traumatized students are back in the very same classroom, expected to resume their learning with a substitute teacher, mollified only by a fresh coat of paint and an on-site grief counselor. Before the principal could even begin her search for a new teacher, Algerian immigrant Bachir Lazhar shows up in her office, impressive resume in hand. She dismisses him outright with talk of procedures and protocol, but teachers must be hard to come by in Montreal, since the next thing we know, Bachir is in front of the classroom facing a roomful of grieving students. His efforts to teach are hampered not only by the kids' obvious distraction, but also because teaching styles in Montreal are apparently quite different than what he was used to in Algeria.

Despite Bachir's efforts to steer clear of the subject, his students regularly find a way to interject Martine's suicide into their lessons. Though they're obviously still struggling with it, the principal forbids Bachir to discuss it with them. Also forbidden: hugs and physical contact of any kind.

Though his days are focused on trying to help his students, Bachir is also trying to deal with a painful event of his own which he chooses to keep to himself, refusing to open up even to a flirtatious drama teacher who plies him with wine. He seems most at ease with his students, who quickly warm up to him, despite his unimaginative, old-school teaching methods. A sensitive girl named Alice who's being raised by an oft-travelling single mom even develops a little crush on him.

As much as I enjoy picking apart movies and making fun of them, this one is just a little too heartfelt to take pleasure in trashing, so I'm afraid this is going to be one of those boring "straight" reviews. The child actors are terrific, with Simon having a thoroughly-convincing cathartic meltdown late in the film. The actress who plays Alice is also quite good, and even won the Canadian Oscar (the "Genie") for Best Supporting Actress for this performance.

The only scenes that fall a little flat are the ones involving Bachir's private issues, which while arguably important to the plot, lack the emotional charge of the rest of the film and felt, to me, like a distraction.