Review of The Class (2008) by Lissa A — 19 Aug 2009

Brilliantly filmed, a gritty film which follows a teacher's year with high-school students in his French class. While the behind-the-scenes peeks into the school day-to-day activities and teachers' psyches is enlightening, I found I saw Mr. Marin more clearly when he was in front of his students. One only has to listen to him and watch his body language to know what he is feeling and his struggles to try and make learning relevant in the face of multiculturalism and hormonal teens. He is a dedicated teacher who is a real person - he loses his cool, he says things he regrets and he admits to not being perfect. Do his students appreciate him? Some do at the onset, but one gets the feeling that despite events that unfold over the year, they all see, on some level, that he is dedicated to their development.

The "making of" extras are greatly enlightening. Little did I know it was filmed using actual students who improvised scenes given to them by Francois and the director, and that these improv sessions were filmed as well. Brilliant use of on-the-spot material and the cinema vérité technique turned out to be pseudo-documentary instead.

I highly recommend this film.