Entre les murs (2008)

Note Générale:

7,8/10   

Réalisateur:

Laurent Cantet

Scénaristes:

François Bégaudeau (book)
François Bégaudeau (screenplay)

Date de sortie:

24 septembre 2008 (France)

Genre:

Drame

Intrigue:

Teacher and novelist François Bégaudeau plays a version of himself as he negotiates a year with his racially mixed students from a tough Parisian neighborhood.

Plot Keywords:

Student | Teacher | Class | High School | Inner City

Récompenses:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 7 wins & 8 nominations

Avis des utilisateurs:

One of the best movies I have ever seen

Ensemble

François Bégaudeau	...	François Marin
Agame Malembo-Emene	...	Agame
Angélica Sancio	...	Angélica
Arthur Fogel	...	Arthur
Boubacar Toure	...	Boubacar
Burak Özyilmaz	...	Burak
Carl Nanor	...	Carl
Cherif Bounaïdja Rachedi	...	Cherif
Dalla Doucoure	...	Dalla
Damien Gomes	...	Damien
Esmeralda Ouertani	...	Esmeralda
Eva Paradiso	...	Eva
Henriette Kasaruhanda	...	Henriette
Juliette Demaille	...	Juliette
Justine Wu	...	Justine

Autre(s) titre(s):

The Class (International: English title) (UK) (USA)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language.

Durée:

Argentina:128 min | France:128 min | USA:128 min

Pays:

France

Langue:

Français

Couleur:

Couleur

Rapport de forme:

2,35 : 1

Son:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS (US prints)

Classification:

Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-3 | USA:PG-13 | Sweden:7 | Germany:o.Al. | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:12A | Argentina:Atp | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Australia:M | UK:15 | Mexico:B

Société:

Haut et Court

Anecdotes:

France's official submission for the 2008 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.

Connexions:

figure dans "At the Movies: Summer Special 2008/09" (2008)

One of the best movies I have ever seen

The next time somebody blames teachers for a decline in education, they should immediately be rushed to a screening of this movie. It shows a hard working, dedicated, engaging, and skilled teacher who nonetheless has a mess on his hands in an inner city French school.

I taught for 4 years in private schools and recognized many similarities between my experience and the movie. Notable are the culture of politically-correct hypersensitivity and behavioral permissiveness in school and the culture of vulgarity and brazenness/shamelessness in which students are raised, which some bring to class in the movie in blatant form. It is poignant that it is the quiet Chinese immigrant kid, the most un-French of all, who says of his obnoxious classmates, "they have no shame... but I am ashamed. I have shame for them." The one time the super-tolerant teacher responds directly to the super-obnoxious behavior of students with a well-deserved and truthful insult, he becomes the villain and is put through the bureaucratic wringer. The movie asks what ought to be the limits of tolerance, and whether a school can function properly in a politically-correct, hypersensitive, yet behaviorally-challenged classroom.

Also notable is the girl who comes to him after the last bell rings for the year and says in all sincerity that she learned nothing at all this year. Presents the question of whether the modern school system is suited to teach all students even at some basic level, and, if not, should there be other options besides the traditional classroom, like vocational schools or work/study programs, etc. for those who cannot learn in traditional settings.

Given the huge turnover among new teachers these days, the movie likely struck a chord with others who have tried teaching in schools where students yell across rooms, make lewd comments, push each other and get in fights, etc. The teacher in the movie has an ultra-tolerant personality, which gets him through; not all of his colleagues share this tolerance, as the teacher's lounge scenes make clear.

I have to laugh at other reviewers who "question his teaching methods." All we see is discussions of literature and student writing, what is questionable about that? The first "method" of good teaching is to be engaging and involve the student. He did that. He also made literature real for the students, connecting it with their own experiences.