Rent Monsieur Lazhar (2011)

3.8 of 5 from 177 ratings
1h 31min
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Synopsis:
After the tragic passing of their well-liked teacher a school class is left shaken and fragile. A new primary teacher is appointed, the mysterious and charming Bachir Lazhar who, as each day passes, earns the trust of the class and allows them to grieve. Lazhar's compassion has a huge impact on the most sensitive pupils, but unbeknown to them, he is also fighting his own personal battles that have left him emotionally vulnerable.
Actors:
, , , , Vincent Millard, Seddik Benslimane, Louis-David Leblanc, Gabriel Verdier, Marianne Soucy-Lord, , , , , Daniel Gadouas, Francine Ruel, Sophie Sanscartier, , , Marie Charlebois,
Directors:
Producers:
Luc Déry, Kim McCraw
Writers:
Philippe Falardeau, Evelyne de la Chenelière
Studio:
Soda Pictures
Genres:
Comedy, Drama
Collections:
Back to School: Best Films Featuring Teachers
Countries:
Canada
BBFC:
Release Date:
01/10/2012
Run Time:
91 minutes
Languages:
French Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:
English
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 2.35:1
Colour:
Colour

More like Monsieur Lazhar

Reviews (6) of Monsieur Lazhar

Touching - Monsieur Lazhar review by Gail

Spoiler Alert
01/07/2020

Sorrowful, endearing, meaningful, emotional and strikingly true and real. But with some charming upbeat moments too. I enjoyed it overall and would recommend for a sweet and soulful night in x

1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.

Quebec Bakalva - I've had those before but didn't know they were called that. - Monsieur Lazhar review by Strovey

Spoiler Alert
11/05/2021

Placed in the wrong hands Monsieur Lazhar could easily have turned out to be a terrific treacly confection of heartstring-tugging manipulation. Considering what is on display, the themes, it is to the credit of the director, and screenplay writer Philippe Faraldeau it is not.

The tragic event that starts the story, whilst a bit unlikely, is not sugar-coated and from that, for me at least, fairly shocking opening all things grow. We are into adult themes here, that come crashing into the world of children, it is all about love, loss and the well-walked path ‘a stranger in a strange land’ but for a lovely change, you are not hit about the head with a baseball bat with these themes.

Without laying out the plot, and what happens and how the story concludes it is difficult to discuss what you see on the screen. It is best to say that we are treated to restrained naturalistic performances where possible and some of the least annoying child actors I have seen for quite some time. In particular, Sophie Nélisse was at the time clearly Canada’s child-Drew Barrymore. The adult actors also give great accounts in particular Mohamed Fellag who brings nuance and quiet air of dignity and sadness to Lazhar.

There is a real undercurrent of trauma throughout the story that runs through the lives of everyone adult and child alike but the real trick, the real heft of this well-crafted and acted story is that for a such a huge emotional hit in people’s lives there is no pay-off, no closure, you work your way around the roadblock, you try your best to make sense of it – sometimes it does not make sense. To my way of thinking this is a very adult way to show the audience a tough and emotive topic.

Plenty of comment throughout the story on the process of education in Canada, the restrictions of teaching methods, for good or bad, and how it can change a dynamic between teachers, pupils, and parents to such an extent where Lazhar’s simple observations on a child to her parents is immediately rebuked and he told to ‘teach not bring up’ but to the credit of the film it sides with no one, you make your own decisions. This is films strength it really does not try to push any agenda, Lazhar is a nice man, who is hiding more than one secret, not because he is an asylum seeking Algerian but because he is a nice man. The headteacher tells him how things must be done not because she is the ‘baddie’ (far from it) but because it is her job and that is how it must be done.

For me, this type of attitude to story with issues that can get people very emotive, as we know this is now a code-word for sweary and dementedly angry these days, was refreshing.

Based on a play by Evelyne de la Chenelière, who plays pupil Alice’s airline pilot mother, Monsieur Lazhar is simple tale, told subtly, on a topic that could have been mangled through the Call the Midwife sugar press. It was not.

Recommended unless you really hate asylum seekers and children.

1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.

Poignant and very relevant today - Monsieur Lazhar review by IM

Spoiler Alert
31/07/2017

Nuanced, dignified performance by Fellag, and Falardeau gets superb performances from the supporting cast including the children.

1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.

Critic review

Monsieur Lazhar review by Melissa Orcine - Cinema Paradiso

A Quebecois middle school is shocked to its core when one of its beloved teachers is found hanging on a pipe inside a classroom. The suicide is then made more disturbing because two of her students saw the teacher hanged and dead. It’s a quick reality check in the opening scene of Canada’s ‘Monsieur Lazhar’, but death eerily looms in this film from start to finish.

The titular ‘Monsieur Lazhar’ is played by Algerian actor Mohamed Fellag, popularly known by his name Fellag the comic actor in France. Here he takes a dramatic turn and he knows what he’s doing, being the genteel newcomer who applies for the teaching job left by the one who committed suicide. As Lazhar, Fellag manifests a man who is eager to connect with his students but has restraint on opening up since he isn’t exactly what he says he is. Is Lazhar telling the truth about his credentials? Why migrate from to Canada at all? Can he turn these kids around and erase the tragedy from their young minds?

Written and directed by Philippe Falardeu, ‘Monsieur Lazhar’ has joined the ranks of films where teachers inspire their students to be the better versions of themselves and follow their dreams. But the film is much more simplistic than that; it’s about teacher-student relationships and how it impacts both parties’ lives forever. For Lazhar, he wants the students not to obsess over death, while the students want the assurance that everything’s going to be okay – if this won’t come from their own parents, at least from their teacher, someone whom they spend most of their days with, anyway. And yet the drama in ‘Monsieur Lazhar’ is not melodramatic and hysterical. Instead, the drama is in the quiet that Lazhar and his students practice in order to move on, let go, and live. Fellag as Lazhar is perfect while the kids who play his students are nuanced and natural, not annoying actor-types at all.

‘Monsieur Lazhar’ tugs at the heartstrings and for good reason. No wonder it was nominated for a Best Foreign Film Oscar in 2011.

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