MONSIEUR LAZHAR

Canada, 2011, 94 minutes, Colour.
Fellag, Sophie Nelisse, Emilien Neron.
Directed by Philippe Falardeau.

This is a very fine and moving film, one to seek out. It was Canada’s entry for the 2011 Oscar for Best Foreign Language film (beaten by the also wonderful Iranian film, A Separation). It also won two awards from SIGNIS, the World Catholic Association for Communication, in Hong Kong and in Washington DC.

The opening shot is an overhead view of primary school children playing in a snow-covered Montreal playground. The film stays principally within the school and, at these times of debate about education (teachers’ hours and pay, classroom teaching and staff meetings and corrections, strict regulations about touching children and about discipline, all of which are part of this film), it is both perennial and topical.

The first segment, well orchestrated as it introduces us to two of the main children (who give extraordinarily convincing performances, especially in highly emotional sequences) leads to the discovery that their teacher has hanged herself in the classroom. The children’s responses (and those of teachers and parents) and the need for grief and counseling remain a constant theme, the screenplay offering the many-sided, sometimes contradictory, facets of dealing with such a tragedy.

But Monsieur Lazhar, of the title, has not yet entered the film. Reading of the death, he comes to offer the school principal his services as relief teacher. He is from Algeria, a political refugee, whose wife and daughter have been killed in a deliberately political apartment fire. In fact, this part of the narrative raises another topical issue, that of asylum seekers. There are some stirring sequences where M. Lazhar has to justify himself to migration authorities who take a devil’s advocate position, seemingly inured to thinking or feeling about what life’s experience and tragedies have been for the refugees trying to explain what has happened in their lives.

However, most of the film is set in the classroom and the school corridors, yards and principal’s office. M. Lazhar has some old-fashioned methods but, gradually, the children warm to him, trust him, especially has he teaches them creative writing along with their grammar, and tries to deal with the grief at the death of their teacher. We do see him outside the school, alone at home, a visit to a colleague, the migration interrogation.

60 year old Algerian actor, Mohamed Fellag, simply billed as Fellag, is totally convincing as M. Lazhar, winning over the audience as he does the children and staff. He has suffered. He has survived in Canada. He is trying to gain citizenship. He emulates his teacher wife as he deals over the school year with the students.

As mentioned already, the children are also convincing, Simon the angry little boy, Alice the intelligent and creative little girl, Marie-Frederique? the poised and bossy girl, Victor the large Chilean boy who is picked on, little Boris who suffers from migraines (and a bad, sugary diet), M with an Arabic background. You believe the teachers as well, the sports master and the janitor (the only other men on the staff), the principal trying to do her best but with pressures from parents and the education department.

Director Philippe Falardeau makes every scene effective with an attention to visual or acting detail which makes the audience feel that they are vividly present to the school. There is also a restrained piano score.

Monsieur Lazhar is going immediately on to my list of favourite films.

1. The acclaim for the film? Awards? Topical?

2. A Canadian production, Canadian issues, universal issues?

3. The Montreal setting, the school, the apartments, offices? The passing of the seasons?

4. The tone, the restrained musical score, evocative?

5. The opening, the schoolyard, the children, the overview, playing in the snow, introduction to Simon and Alice? Their sharing – and their resumption of sharing at the end? The issue of the milk, the corridors, Simon getting the milk, seeing the dead woman, running, the effect for the audience?

6. The teachers, shepherding the children out into the yard, the ages of the children? Alice and her seeing the dead teacher? The response of the teachers, the principal?

7. The aftermath, the repainting of the classroom, changing aspects of the room, but the inability to change the room? The children, the response to the counsellor? Her treatment, the sessions? The effect? The question as to who was traumatised – the parents or the children?

8. The dead teacher, liked, her style, the circle of desks, the teachers and their friendship with her, her illness, hugging Simon and the repercussions, Simon’s rejection and reporting? The cumulative effect? The audience finding out these aspects later in the film? Alice and her taunting Simon, Simon and his angers and expression, hitting the ball, his outbreak, not wanting to be blamed?

9. The situation in the school, Monsieur Lazhar and his arrival, his initial impression, age, manner? French language? The offer to teach, declaring his nineteen years of experience, his documents? The discussion with the principal? The later revelations about his wife, running the restaurant, her documents, the parents reacting to him, the investigations, the principal and the final talk, having to let him go?

10. The character and personality of the principal, her responsibilities, coping, the meetings, discussing of the children, the parents? Her orders for Lazhar and the treatment of the class, their discussions of the dead teacher? Her final dilemma, having to let Monsieur Lazhar go?

11. Monsieur Lazhar, the introduction, going into the classroom, the questions of the children, as to where he came from, Algeria? Changing the desks? The dictation from Balzac? Teaching grammar? The request to change his methods?

12. His response to the classroom, the friendship of the teachers, Claire, putting on the play, the parody of colonial aspects with Stanley and Livingstone? Inviting him to the meal, flirting? His serious response?

13. The other two men on the staff, the sports coach and his feeling isolated, not able to touch the children, especially for the athletics horse? The painter and his maintenance? Their friendship with Monsieur Lazhar?

14. The issues of touching the children, not hitting the children, issues of discipline, respect, the memories of the past and regulations? The careful attitudes of the present?

15. The parents meeting with the staff, their discussions, Marie-Frederique’s? parents, their strictness, the hyphenated name, their dislike of Monsieur Lazhar, telling him not to parent their child?

16. Monsieur Lazhar and his fables, the chrysalis, his telling the story, images of the children, education?

17. The music, his dancing alone, going to the dance, with the children, supervising?

18. Lazhar and his going to the lawyer, the interrogations by the officials? His documents? The second visit, the revelation of his plight, the story of his wife, her book, the fire in the apartment block, the death of his wife and child? The checking with the Algerian police, the reality of the fire, his being accepted by the Canadian authorities?

19. Simon, his age, his aggression, the hug from the teacher, his reaction, feeling the blame? His speech and the debate about violence? His violence in the hard? The clashes with Alice, teasing Victor with his cap? The speculation that Martine knew that he would be getting the milk that day and that he would find her?

20. Alice, her mother the pilot, Alice’s talent, Monsieur Lazar’s favourite, denouncing Simon, her speeches, her writing? The reconciliation with Simon?

21. Victor, fat, from Chile, his being teased, talking to Monsieur Lazhar, the episode with the dictionary?

22. Boris, his migraines, his sugar food, Monsieur Lazhar sending him out into the air, his coming alive, the points for getting the dictionary?

23. Marie- Frederique, the rules, strong personality, dominance?

24. Abdelmalek, his presence in the class, talking Arabic? His response to Monsieur Lazhar?

25. The discovery of the truth about Monsieur Lazhar, the complaints, the principal’s talk?

26. The final farewell, reading his fable, the hug for the children? His future?