The Class

I was recommended to go and see The Class (Entre les murs) (enter the walls?). Directed by Laurent Cantet and written by François Bégaudeau who plays a version of himself in a tough Paris school. The film manages to captivate despite most of it taking place in one classroom, with mostly the same camera angles. The dialogue is quick and hard to follow for the most part, with the colloquial French and heated conversations clumsily translated at points. However the film remains compelling and I felt willing to put the necessary work into following the loosely constructed narrative.
Part of what makes it so compelling is the fact that the actors are all untrained, and for the most part playing themselves. There is no indication of this, apart from the fact that they are completely convincing, portraying themselves/their characters with a startling integrity.
I really want to know what François Bégaudeau wanted to achieve with making this film... was he making it for the class? there seems to be a slight air of self righteousness in the portrayal of his character in staff meetings, he is the one sticking up for the trouble makers, trying to convince his colleagues that each pupil needs individual treatment and that punishment often doesn't work. When an ugly incident crops up - he calls two of his pupils skanks, resulting in a display of insolence and violence from one of the most volatile pupils - we feel almost ready to forgive him, due to his constant defense of the pupils in the staff room. I wonder if he really felt the need to somehow redeem himself to the pupils who only saw one side of his character by making a film which portrayed a different reality.
A wonderful part of the film comes right at the end when the ever cheeky, often insolent and apparently ignorant Esmeralda reveals that she read Plato's Republic over the school year. This throws the whole film into a different perspective, as we recognised François' teaching method mirrored in the character of Socrates, provoking a democratic way of thinking and asking awkward questions, encouraging active participation from all his pupils, even if it sometimes descends into a rabble. Sometimes it becomes unclear who really has the ultimate authority.

http://www.hautetcourt.com/fiche.php?pkfilms=142