Review of The Class (2008) by Ian H — 11 Oct 2010

A wonderfully moving, challenging and at times painful documentary-style look at a high-school class in Paris. I only read afterwards that this is a semi-autobiographical account of Bégaudeau's experiences as a literature teacher in an inner city middle school in Paris [from a novel he wrote]. And the style of the film fits in wonderfully with this.

I thought François Bégaudea a fine actor, and the supporting cast, the teenagers in particular, were also amazing: it was exceptionally believable that this may be a slice of real life, a documentary. The film does only focus on the classroom [with the occasional scene in the teachers' room], and there are a number of storylines, not all of which resolved, but it still entranced me and gave me pause for thought not only on the struggles teachers have but those faced by students too, often learning things they see no value in.