Film: The Class
Release date: 15th June 2009
Certificate: 15
Running time: 128 mins
Director: Laurent Cantet
Starring: François Bégaudeau, Angélica Sancio, Arthur Fogel, Boubacar Toure, Carl Nanor
Genre: Drama
Studio: Artificial Eye
Format: DVD
Country: France
Entre le Murs (Between The Walls) stood out as a leading piece of French contemporary literature with its publication in 2006 - Francois Begaudeau’s semi autobiographical novel offers something quite unique. Adapted to the screen in 2008, it brought about similar intrigue and consideration with the celebrated Palme d’Or. Time Out director Francois Begaudeau’s portrayal of school life looks a little deeper than its Dangerous Minds-esque predecessors.
Middle aged teacher Mr. Marin begins work at a high school in inner-city Paris. He is put in charge of a class teaching French language and literature to a racially mixed group of underprivileged children in their mid-teens.
Starting in the autumn term, and spanning the entire school year, we follow Marin’s attempts to connect with and teach his class of unwilling students. He introduces the children to the values of language, the significance of history and the power of literature, provoking only limited interest.
As Marin balances ethnic tensions, rebellious students and potentials unrealised, it is the lives of the students that become the major topic of the classroom...
The premise of the film has been very present in cinema dating back to Sidney Poitier’s To Sir With Love. The synopsis itself brings about a number of conventional devices associated with the sub-genre of hard-hitting classroom drama: the open-minded young teacher, the budding student stifled by their background, and the life changing lessons they learn from each other. The Class does possess a similar arc, but to hold it in the same regards as such sentimental movies does not do it justice.
The film is shot with a minuscule budget, and Cantet’s shoot is based in the classroom, the halls, the staffroom, and a school yard that resembles the concrete confines of a prison. All we learn about the pupils and the staff, we learn from inside the school, as the camera never strays outside its walls. Reportedly shot on three digital cameras, Canet’s no-thrills direction deliberately resembles a documentary, and this allows for the action of the film to unfold with the upmost realism. The drib-drab entrapment of the classroom is really felt, and although this can grate with such an extensive running time, the tone of the film is essential for the messages it carries.
The original novel’s author, Francois Begaudeau, debuts onscreen as a dramatised version of himself - he wrote the book about his own experiences, and the ex-teacher brings this to the screen. The children are by no means experienced actors either, and are assembled from a selection of real-life pupils - many of the classroom debates that figure so memorably are ad-libbed and shot as genuine discussions. We are given riveting insight into the mindset of Parisian youth as they argue and debate, with Marin urging them all the way - this approach creates an on screen simulation of reality that would be hard to imitate.
There is a lot to learn here but there are no epiphanies as you may expect. The vulnerability of the children is mirrored in the teacher, as he too feels the strain of a weary education system. We see his misjudgement in his altercation with Souleymayne, a student who he previously had been making headway with. Marin’s classroom manner is tested as his penchant to allow children to express themselves leads to them taking advantage, and we see his frustration as his methods are responded to and rejected in equal measure. The action of this film puts educational ideals in question.
Cantet’s film comments heavily on an outdated school system that is more concerned with processing children than helping them to grow. We see unappealing curriculums, unenthusiastic educators and an emphasis on children’s behaviour - not their learning. Canet’s documentary style succeeds in appealing to our emotional involvement with the children, and portraying the hopelessness of their situation.
With fantastic performances from an unexpected cast, this is a very honest and well realised look into French youth and the system that raises them. A low-key production and modest stature do not stop this film carrying huge significance, and giving penetrating attention to a much overlooked cause. The action is slow but The Class definitely packs a punch. LW
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