Review of To Be and to Have (2002) by Jen H — 04 Jun 2011
We sometimes forget how hard it is for young children when they start their school life . It's daunting going to a new place every day , with other children and adults they have never met before.
To Be and To Have is a delightful documentary that follows a rural school in France that has just the one teacher and 12 kids aged 4 -10 .
I wasn't sure if there was going to be enough going on this movie to keep my concentration but I couldn't have been more wrong.
George Lopez is the name of the teacher and we see him in the last year before he retires. This is a man who quite clearly loves his job and adores the children he teaches. At first we see the sterner side of him when he has to tell a couple of the children off but it soon becomes clear that these children are extremely lucky to have a man like Georges Lopez as their first teacher.
There are some lovely scenes but one will stay with me for a while, its when he is talking to a pupil who's father has cancer and it's hard not to well up when see how both pupil and teacher handle it.
The final day of George Lopes 's career is also another very moving moment.
This wont be everyone's cup of tea but I love foreign documentaries like this.
This review of To Be and to Have (2002) was written by Jen H on 04 Jun 2011.
To Be and to Have has generally received very positive reviews.
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