Entre les Murs

Entre les Murs or the Class as it titled in English is old news of course, it has been highly acclaimed and talked about and everyone has already seen it, but I still had not. Finally I did see it now, and I am very glad I did. It certainly didn't disappoint.



The film is beautifully simple yet complex, like the young characters themselves. The plot is that, well, there isn't much of a plot. The description: 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 - sums it up, really.

I was struck by the immediacy of the hand-held camera and urgency of the raw emotions. It was all very real, very moving. You cry and laugh (nous croutons - a truly 'laugh out loud' pun!) with the kids, get to know them, start to care about them. Even though I would have thought this movie is going to put me off wanting to teach for ever, it actually did quite the opposite.
It was very inspiring to see that a powerful movie can be made on a set limited to mostly one classroom and a cast consisting mainly of amateurs. Brilliant.