Entre les murs (2008)

English title: The Class.
Correct translation of the French title: Between the Walls.

A year in a high school French class (meaning a class in which the French language is taught) in France, plus some glimpses into other teachers' problems, in the same school.

I've taken too long to write this review and thus am less than motivated. Anyway, if I must do it, here it goes. On the one side, there is the aspect of the events in the movie, which for me speak tons about what I would call the "politics of schooling", and relates to what the school is really all about, which is not at all about the explicit contents of any one course, but rather about learning to adapt and conform to the rules of society; awareness of the penal system is inoculated in the student through a series of disciplinary proceedings which culminate in committees for the deliberation of expulsions; the student is thus tacitly prepared for and "warned" about what expects him when he finishes school, when trials will of course be for real. The prison metaphor is beautifully expressed in the title ("between the walls"), and the film depicts in perverse detail the aspect of torture which is inherent in this kind of "education"; the student is thus faced with a cul-de-sac in which, while being reduced to a life of mandatory confinement, is obliged to come up with an essay on "interesting aspects of his or her daily life"; one of them protests in these terms more or less, to no avail. These protestations are the only mechanisms of defense the students possess and make for the film's most touching or funny moments. All that being said, the tendency among reviewers -- when they are not of the reactionary type who rant that these kids today should be taken in hand -- is to contextualize historically this repression saying that, in the past, things were worse; I can't say this is not true, but this is not the kind of thinking that made things get better.
Turning now to the mise-en-scene aspect, this film is simply too wonderful for words. There is not one false note in it, all the actors, most of whom are non-professional kids, are perfect.

Rating: 71 (1st in 2008's favorites)