Director: Phillipe FaladreauWriter: Phillipe Faladreau
Starring: Mohammed Fellag, Émilien Néron, Sophie Nélisse
Release Date: TBA
Length: 1 hour 34 minutes
The producers of last year’s overwhelmingly powerful film that should have won best foreign picture at the Academy Awards, Incendies, return to the Toronto International Film Festival with an equally moving French Canadian film, Monsieur Lahzar.
The film, based off a one-man play, tells the story of an Algerian immigrant teacher who takes a job at an elementary school in Montreal for a class of distressed students. Their former beloved teacher hung herself in their classroom, for the particular student Simon to unfortunately witness when he was picking up milk. As the young kids get over the trauma in different ways, their new teacher Bachir Lazhar works on fitting in with his new students and his new North American lifestyle. The traumatized Simon faces resentment from his best friend Alice, as she has her own ideas of why the death took place. Meanwhile, the kind hearted Bachir faces problems with his immigration, as we learn he has a troublesome tale of why he came to Canada. His different teaching methods may be just what these kids need, as they cope with the sudden event that has forever altered the school.
There is beautiful delicacy to this film that writer/director Phillipe Faladreau establishes right from the start. The normality and dullness of the suburban Montreal winter setting only make the powerful story and characters of the film more vivid. Faladreau continues to shine with his layered screenwriting that moves you in an oddly haunting way. He makes you so incredibly attached to these complex characters with ever so subtle depictions of them. These people appear simple to you at first while subliminally instilling themselves in your heart, so that by the end of the film, your compassion for them will have you in tears.
This poignant script is performed by the most exceptional actors of all ages. The two main children the story focuses on are played by the powerful young actors Émilien Néron and Sophie Nélisse. Nélisse is simply captivating as Alice, a very quiet but complicated little girl who separates herself from her best friend. Néron evokes so much empathy from the audience with his heartbreaking performance of a boy who is conflicted on whether he caused his teacher’s suicide. There is a particular scene in the classroom that will create the most tears in the film because of his exceptional acting. The two together create a lovely emotional relationship for the audience to watch that drives much of your affection in the film.
Algerian actor Mohammed Fellag, better known as Fellag is the perfect representation of subtle gravity that this film carries. His shy kind demeanour makes him easily lovable and pulls at your heart-strings during his immigration scenes. His quiet love for the children he teaches prepares your heart for breaking and his very timid attitude, when on a date, just makes you giggle with excitement. There are also wonderful performances from Danielle Proulx and Brigitte Poupart as other staff members at the school.
Rightfully the official submission from Canada to the Best Foreign Film Award at the Oscars, Monsieur Lazhar is one of the most touching films of the year and deserves to be nominated this coming January. With the outstanding cast and the talented skills of Phillipe Faladreau, it is simply a must see for anyone with a heart.
The film, based off a one-man play, tells the story of an Algerian immigrant teacher who takes a job at an elementary school in Montreal for a class of distressed students. Their former beloved teacher hung herself in their classroom, for the particular student Simon to unfortunately witness when he was picking up milk. As the young kids get over the trauma in different ways, their new teacher Bachir Lazhar works on fitting in with his new students and his new North American lifestyle. The traumatized Simon faces resentment from his best friend Alice, as she has her own ideas of why the death took place. Meanwhile, the kind hearted Bachir faces problems with his immigration, as we learn he has a troublesome tale of why he came to Canada. His different teaching methods may be just what these kids need, as they cope with the sudden event that has forever altered the school.
There is beautiful delicacy to this film that writer/director Phillipe Faladreau establishes right from the start. The normality and dullness of the suburban Montreal winter setting only make the powerful story and characters of the film more vivid. Faladreau continues to shine with his layered screenwriting that moves you in an oddly haunting way. He makes you so incredibly attached to these complex characters with ever so subtle depictions of them. These people appear simple to you at first while subliminally instilling themselves in your heart, so that by the end of the film, your compassion for them will have you in tears.
This poignant script is performed by the most exceptional actors of all ages. The two main children the story focuses on are played by the powerful young actors Émilien Néron and Sophie Nélisse. Nélisse is simply captivating as Alice, a very quiet but complicated little girl who separates herself from her best friend. Néron evokes so much empathy from the audience with his heartbreaking performance of a boy who is conflicted on whether he caused his teacher’s suicide. There is a particular scene in the classroom that will create the most tears in the film because of his exceptional acting. The two together create a lovely emotional relationship for the audience to watch that drives much of your affection in the film.
Algerian actor Mohammed Fellag, better known as Fellag is the perfect representation of subtle gravity that this film carries. His shy kind demeanour makes him easily lovable and pulls at your heart-strings during his immigration scenes. His quiet love for the children he teaches prepares your heart for breaking and his very timid attitude, when on a date, just makes you giggle with excitement. There are also wonderful performances from Danielle Proulx and Brigitte Poupart as other staff members at the school.
Rightfully the official submission from Canada to the Best Foreign Film Award at the Oscars, Monsieur Lazhar is one of the most touching films of the year and deserves to be nominated this coming January. With the outstanding cast and the talented skills of Phillipe Faladreau, it is simply a must see for anyone with a heart.
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