In a Class of its Own

Monsieur Lazhar

***1/2 out of ****

Directed by: Philippe Falardeau

Starring: Mohamed Fellag, Danielle Proulx, Sophie Nélisse, Émilien Néron, and Brigitte Popart

Running time: 94 minutes

In the motion picture academy’s 84-year history, Canada has submitted a film for the foreign language category 37 times. The country has been nominated six times, four of them coming in the last decade – including one win, for Denys Arcand’s The Barbarian Invasions. The most recent inductee into the category is Monsieur Lazhar, a deeply moving drama from director Philippe Falardeau.

Lazhar examines the relationship between a teacher and his students, although in more sensitive and introspective ways than well-meaning Hollywood hokum such as Dead Poets Society and Dangerous Minds. Here, the lessons taught aren’t inspirational or academic, but revolve around issues of death and loss.

The teacher is one Bachir Lazhar (Mohamed Fellag), an Algerian immigrant with an undetermined status who takes a job at a Montreal primary school.

His job, however, belonged to a young teacher that hanged herself from the pipes of her classroom on a dreary winter morning. The students are fraught with despair as the shadows of her death loom over the classroom. Renovations of fresh paint and a school-employed psychologist’s advice can only dillute some of the grief.

Lazhar hopes that he can be a bearer of good news. His rapturous voice and cordial attitude gets high marks, especially from a sweet student named Alice (Sophie Nélisse). However, his pupils groan when he assigns a dictation from Balzac, perhaps a tad advanced for a Gr. 6 class.

The children are curious about their new teacher’s past, although Lazhar does not disclose it to them. His wife and children were killed in a supposed arson attack in Algeria. He moved to Canada to escape this danger, and like the students, Lazhar is going through a period of loss. In this classroom, the lessons learned are mutual.

With poorer actors and with a weaker directorial grip, Monsieur Lazhar could have been a shaky mix of light, candid classroom moments and somber meditations on death. However, French-Canadian director Philippe Falardeau understands that the key to connecting moments of comedy and drama is through sensitive storytelling and finely nuanced performances.

Fellag, with a tall stance and cheery face, is tremendous as the title character. He has a momentous presence that works wonders when his protagonist leads the children in deep discussion. Fellag also applies sweet, subtle character touches to grab the kids’ (and also the audience’s) sympathy.

He riffs lovingly with his superb class of young actors, especially the angelic Nélisse and Émilien Néron. The latter child actor plays Simon, a rambunctious, off-kilter student whose conflicted relationship with his late teacher stirs great regret inside him after she dies.

The film touches on issues of immigration and classroom politics, but is most compelling when it focuses on the bonds forged between the teacher and his pupils. Warm and generously humanistic, Monsieur Lazhar is an insightful look into the development of teacher-student relationships, and a film that’s bound to teach other writer/directors how to compose sensitive subject matter with poise and poignancy.