What seems to be a mundane movie on school kids with a substitute teacher turns out to be rich and full of afterthoughts. This heartfelt gem simply moves me to tears.
"Monsieur Lazhar" is set in French Canadian Montreal where a substitute teacher from Algeria enters a grade six class one week after their teacher Martine hanged herself in that room.
Mr Bachir Lazhar tells the principal he is a permanent resident and has 19 years teaching experience in his home country. He is quickly hired since no one wants the job. Lazhar employs a rather traditional approach in teaching: first he rearranges the desks into rows. Then he uses Balzac for dictation. He smacks a naughty kid's head though he does not believe it is hitting. He taps a kid's shoulder when he is in distress and shows favoritism. While the children gradually develop a rapport with him and his way of teaching the person rather than the text book, some parents resent it.
It is quite a backlash for the new approach in education where teachers are not allowed to have physical contacts with students: "Students are like radiation materials. We cannot touch them." So a teacher only uses his whistles to tell the kids to run.
What the students do not realize during their grief, is that their new teacher is also mourning the loss of his family while seeking asylum in Canada, and that this teacher was actually a restaurant owner with a big and sincere heart. A refugee, Mr Lazhar can be deported anytime if his application is rejected. Yet, despite this risk, he is making a bigger risk in caring for his students in his own way. Although his colleague said he should share his stories with his students, he plays it very low key, but is pleased when his students show initiates in looking up Algeria and suggests books for him for dictation.
The movie seems to be contrasting and echoing how the children and Mr Lazhar deal with their grief. The school hires a psychologist to help the class but it did not seem to work when the school did not encourage the kids to talk about their feelings about the death of their teacher – whether it was guilt, longing, being selfish, or violence. Children need to talk about the loss of their teacher, whether it is in writing or in talking and Mr Lazhar provides them the opportunity.
On the other hand, Mr Lazhar himself does not talk about his loss. Instead, he channels his grief by extending the spirit of the death: he uses the stamps from his wife, a former teacher, and the fable of Martine to extend their legacies. He learns from Claire, the teacher next door, to be a better teacher. Unlike Martine, he does not leave without saying goodbye – which he considers abandonment.
Monsieur Lazhar is also about dealing with sudden deaths of people around us – whether it is suicide or political persecution. We need to heal by expressing our feelings about it. Avoiding it does not help. Looking for reasons is not necessary. Staying together, supporting each other and growing for the future (spreading our wings) are more important.
Not dramatic but profoundly moving. Simple language with strong message. I am deeply touched by the performance of the teacher (Mohamed Fellag), Alice (Sophie Nélisse), Simon (Émilien Néron) and the other students. Must see for teachers, parents, administrators and anyone who care for our next generation.
"Monsieur Lazhar" is set in French Canadian Montreal where a substitute teacher from Algeria enters a grade six class one week after their teacher Martine hanged herself in that room.
Mr Bachir Lazhar tells the principal he is a permanent resident and has 19 years teaching experience in his home country. He is quickly hired since no one wants the job. Lazhar employs a rather traditional approach in teaching: first he rearranges the desks into rows. Then he uses Balzac for dictation. He smacks a naughty kid's head though he does not believe it is hitting. He taps a kid's shoulder when he is in distress and shows favoritism. While the children gradually develop a rapport with him and his way of teaching the person rather than the text book, some parents resent it.
It is quite a backlash for the new approach in education where teachers are not allowed to have physical contacts with students: "Students are like radiation materials. We cannot touch them." So a teacher only uses his whistles to tell the kids to run.
What the students do not realize during their grief, is that their new teacher is also mourning the loss of his family while seeking asylum in Canada, and that this teacher was actually a restaurant owner with a big and sincere heart. A refugee, Mr Lazhar can be deported anytime if his application is rejected. Yet, despite this risk, he is making a bigger risk in caring for his students in his own way. Although his colleague said he should share his stories with his students, he plays it very low key, but is pleased when his students show initiates in looking up Algeria and suggests books for him for dictation.
The movie seems to be contrasting and echoing how the children and Mr Lazhar deal with their grief. The school hires a psychologist to help the class but it did not seem to work when the school did not encourage the kids to talk about their feelings about the death of their teacher – whether it was guilt, longing, being selfish, or violence. Children need to talk about the loss of their teacher, whether it is in writing or in talking and Mr Lazhar provides them the opportunity.
On the other hand, Mr Lazhar himself does not talk about his loss. Instead, he channels his grief by extending the spirit of the death: he uses the stamps from his wife, a former teacher, and the fable of Martine to extend their legacies. He learns from Claire, the teacher next door, to be a better teacher. Unlike Martine, he does not leave without saying goodbye – which he considers abandonment.
Monsieur Lazhar is also about dealing with sudden deaths of people around us – whether it is suicide or political persecution. We need to heal by expressing our feelings about it. Avoiding it does not help. Looking for reasons is not necessary. Staying together, supporting each other and growing for the future (spreading our wings) are more important.
Not dramatic but profoundly moving. Simple language with strong message. I am deeply touched by the performance of the teacher (Mohamed Fellag), Alice (Sophie Nélisse), Simon (Émilien Néron) and the other students. Must see for teachers, parents, administrators and anyone who care for our next generation.