Review of The Class (2007) by Kate M — 25 Aug 2009
Loved it, loved it, loved it, loved it!
It was so gripping - not in an edge of your seat kind of way, just becoming engrossed in all of the students stories and backgrounds, with little glimpses of the teachers' lives too. BUT - because the film never strayed away from the school environment, what we learn is very negotiable and I LOVED that! Children are the best unreliable narrators! Obviously this led to a few drawbacks - mainly a big event would happen and then it wouldn't be properly concluded (ie, Wey's mother. Wey was my favourite character so obviously I was concerned - with him being NotReal and all). But for something which was obviously loosely scripted it was fantastic at capturing a realistic documentary approach - you're like a fly on the wall, and you never really know anybody's true feelings or intentions. It reminded me of Elephant in that regard.
It was also a fasinating expose (albeit fictional) on life inside a French school - and an inner city racially mixed one at that. Although practices were different (the student council reps being allowed to sit in on report briefings was just madness!) the emotions, bullying and tensions that exist in English schools (and beyond) are exactly the same. I really enjoyed all the little devices they used to open up the crux of the film as well - such as the character portaits and the "what have you learned this year segment?" They all worked so well. I don't know how much direction these kids were given, but they were damn convincing!
Wonderful film, highly recommended.
This review of The Class (2007) was written by Kate M on 25 Aug 2009.
The Class has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
