Monsieur Lazhar

Monsieur Lazhar is a 2011 Canadian French-language drama film directed by Philippe Falardeau and starring Mohamed Saïd Fellag, Sophie Nélisse and Danielle Proulx. Based on Bashir Lazhar, a one-character play by Évelyne de la Chenelière, it tells the story of an Algerian refugee in Montreal who steps in to teach at an elementary school after the former full-time teacher commits suicide.For audience members that are sensitive is suicide as a subject I wil ljust put in a warning here that there is one brief scene where is the teacher that has died by suicide is shown on screen, but it is very brief.For me, it was little Alice (Néliss) that stole the show and initially captured the most of my attention. A pint-sized powerhouse - she is an enigmatic representation of the emotions her classmates (that, are all approximated to be about 11 years old) are forced to wrestle with following the passing of their teacher and the trauma attached to it. Her assertiveness and refusal to sit quietly with her feelings is a direct foil to the adults in her life that discourage open communication about the death of Ms. Martine and what the nature of her passing means in the overarching context. On a more personal note I feel so readily attached to her spirit and she reminds so much of children I have worked with regularly in the past. She has a seething and festering anger diffused by an innately existing composure; her essence of inquisitiveness and maturity a natural companion to the confusion that is central to this film and a wonderful illustration of resilience.‘Monsier Lazhar’ moves at a pace that is intuitive of a glaring self-awareness about the fragility of its contents; at no point would I say it ever gets “exciting”, but the composition of tragedy and its complications are beautifully portrayed and is only natural when the fact that this is based off of a play is taken into consideration. Morsels of seriousness and sadness are sprinkled throughout without being included as a worn-out imposition. The same goes for humor - And more importantly, this is also present without overstaying its welcome or being particularly offensive or inconsiderate of the seemingly personal challenges that plague each of its characters regardless of the weight they add to this story. A tender game of tug-o-war is constantly played under the surface during key moments that are defined by the complexity of emotions that make for a powerful ensemble of interactions that are saturated with the authenticity that it needs to connect with its viewers in a way that is meaningful.It is entirely possible that I am just a huge sap, but the final 15 minutes of ‘Monsier’ feels like a gut punch I never asked for in the first place.I remember the first teacher I had when I was in 3rd grade - her name is Miss Hall , and she was the first public teacher I had (having previously gone to a private Catholic school) following a loss that was absolutely devastating for me. I can readily recall feeling so paralyzed by the environment - I simply wasn't used to its delicate intricacies and was still wrestling with my own grief. It was often that I felt lonely and isolated from my peers and Miss Hall was one of the only adults that went out of her way to make things easier for me. In retrospect some of the things that she did were so simple - like letting me read books out loud to her in lieu of joining my classmates for our recess period - but I'm so thankful that I had someone that supported me during a time when I needed it most. I've never been able to thank her for that - and I certainly didn't think of doing it in the moment - but I truly hope she understands the long-lasting impact she's had on my life more than 20 years later.Without spoilers all I would say is that at the end I truly felt like I was saying goodbye to an educator that found a way inside of my soul in a way that other characters in other movies aren't capable of doing so to this intensity. Its brilliant script had me sobbing - full on ugly tears and all - as soon as the credits started to roll and even now I can feel them start to form just at the mere thought of it. This is simply minimalism at its best and the perfect example of how the largest of things can be hidden in the tiniest of packages.If there is a single teacher that you can think of that you hold in high regard I can’t recommend ‘Moniser’ enough. It embraces the journey of grief and reconciliation that is messy at the core and lacking in consistency. The fact that this is a most thoughtful attempt at paying homage to a population of professionals that are too often overworked and underappreciated is just the icing on the cake. ❤️

A film that deals gracefully, intelligently and maturely with a tough subject without being mawkish or playing for cheap tears and cheaper judgments. Such a relief to see kids portrayed as kids, human beings capable of intelligence and depth, thought and feeling, instead of being smart-mouthed, eye-rolling dopes addicted to social media and computer games, while their useless parents do nothing but say, hey, buddy, do me a favor, take the cat out of the dryer, OK?And what I think I love most about this is the component that addresses how the human race just can't get anything right, first, kids who are being sexually assaulted in any way are told either directly or by atmosphere and culture to keep it to themselves, or told they are delusional, Father wouldn't do that, Uncle Joe wouldn't do that, Principal Smith wouldn't do that, or that old chestnut, you must have done something to bring it on you. Then instead of educating children, building a healthy confidence in them, listening to them, freeing them, instead of improving the criminal justice system to get offenders off the streets, instead of acknowledging a severe mental illness when we see one and working toward treating it, we simply assume that everyone except a parent who gets within five feet of a kid can have an evil intent. You can't put your hand on a child's shoulder, you can't hug a child who is upset, in the film, a gym teacher talks about how he can only let them run around the school yard, because everything else requires some sort of touch or proximity. It does take a village to raise a child, and making us all afraid of one another as a knee-jerk, to always assume the worst is going to happen and the best is never a possibility, solves nothing, and creates more problems.And I don't believe in violence as a matter of course, but if presented with the opportunity to give someone a good, swift kick off a pier and into the East River in January, I would take it, if the target was the person who did the subtitles to this. Huge sections of dialogue skipped, and some, no joke, flashing on the screen once like a warning light, no chance to read it, barely a chance to see that you're missing it. Come on, already, how hard is it to get something like this right?

Heartwarming

...and it's not just because of the French subtitles.This is a real 'people' film that showcases the best qualities of French cinema. It's about character, storytelling, actors, the interaction of people, the lives of people. Everything that's been consumed by the CGI budget of 99% of Hollywood's tripe.Even though this deals with a very difficult subject (don't want to spoil it by saying what it is), it's very carefully done and centres on the main characters' ways of coping with the ordeal.Delightful.

A very emotional tale of a brilliant teacher, who in devours to help a class recover from a tragedy. The performance of the kids alone is worth watching. Be aware it is quite deep depending on your own experiences in childhood, and I don't mind saying it moved me to tears at the end.

This quiet and unassuming drama looks closely at a tragedy that befalls a school in Canada. Monsieur Lazhar wants to support his new class of children but first he needs to listen to their fears and worries as they have to face a tragedy that demands understanding beyond their years.

Good film but poor sound quality. Put maximum sound but still difficult to understand. I am French and the Canadian accent can be difficult to understand. Use it for French club at school, therefore, the sound is very important.

We started to watch it but it was very quiet for some reason, so although it was interesting I still have not seen the end.