Review of Monsieur Lazhar (2011) by Damion R — 18 Feb 2012

"Monsieur Lazhar" is a sweet little film about an Algerian refugee who, after the suicide of a well-loved teacher, finds his way into the school to take over the class and eventually finds his way into the lives and hearts of the students shaken by an expected and complicated loss.

Written and directed by Philippe Falardeau, the film does not try to be something more than an observation, which is nice and refreshing. It definitely has a message to say, along with throwing some political nudges along the way, but it doesn't come across of overbearing and contrived, trying to make the audience feel more than they do. Fellag, in the title role, is a strong actor and quite the casting coup for this film. That, matched with a group of kids who are not irritating in the least, as so many child actors are, led me to be quite entertained.

However, I did just find this to be a sweet little film. For the second year in a row, Canada has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and although it doesn't even have a remote chance of winning, I don't think this film is quite deserving of such an honour to be bestowed on it. It may very well be the best Canadian film of the year, but I am reticent in thinking it was truly one of the best non-English films by any country worldwide.

But it's sweet.