Cultures and attitudes are the lesson of the day when it comes to Laurent Cantet's The Class. Filled to the brim with wit and heart, the film captures a bucket full of emotions, taking the audience on an intellectual and inspiring journey through the rigors of educational learning.
The film follows French schoolteacher Francois as he attempts to educate a class full of diverse and independently minded students. His task, though uneventful on paper, contains drama, comedy and sentiment. And while the story itself is a bit bare, the performance from Francois Begaudau is nothing short of stellar.
Representing a teacher, positive and content on his career choice, Francois effortlessly showcases his ultimate demise throughout the school year. Forced to confront every possible obstacle, our lead is unable to break his students, having to force information into them, each day becoming a tougher battle than the day before.
That battle, though endless, is what makes this film so memorable. Each student has a problem. Whether it be a troubled home life, a recent break up or parents who simply don't care, the problem is there. The way that Francois handles each problem decides which members of the classroom will favor him. And with each new obstacle, comes a new reason to be hated; ultimately forming a chaotic and complex web of emotions that would deter anyone from entering the education field.
But with that said,the film never comes across as an educational look at classrooms today; but rather an opportunity to witness a journey of death and redemption. It is a unique and clever look at the emotional take that one person can have on another, and it is an eye-opening experience for parents who refuse to see just how bad our education system has gotten.
The film is not a documentary, and should not be seen as one. However, more times than not, life imitates art, and here is no exception. The drama, personalities and confrontations are present all around us, and with the clever and unique direction of Laurent Cantet, The Class fully captures all of it, serving up one of the most complete and relatable film to hit theaters this year.
