Fresh
But ultimately it's a fascinating, sometimes exhilarating movie that seems to make a genuine contact with the classroom, and shows us an educational system struggling, and managing, to survive.
Jonathan F. Richards, Film.com
The Class
The greatest lessons are learnt when life enters the classroom.
2008 · 2h 8m · PG-13
Drama
Directed by
Laurent Cantet
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The Class
Overview
Teacher and novelist François Bégaudeau plays a version of himself as he negotiates a year with his racially mixed students from a tough Parisian neighborhood.
Director and cast
- Laurent Cantet Director
- François Bégaudeau as François Marin, head teacher
- Arthur Fogel as Arthur, student
- Damien Gomes as Damien, student
- Esmeralda Ouertani as Esmeralda, student
- Rachel Regulier as Khoumba, student
- Louise Grinberg as Louise, student
- Rabah Nait Oufella as Rabah, student
- Franck Keïta as Souleyman, student
- Agame Malembo-Emene as Agame, student
- Angélica Sancio as Angélica, student
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
95%
Tomatometer
Fresh
Most impressive, Cantet tracks the racial and ethnic resentments that simmer beneath the classroom discussions but become harder to quell when the parents get involved.
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
Fresh
The Class, an Oscar-nominated French film about a Paris middle school, should be required viewing for anybody considering a career in teaching.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Fresh
The fact that it's based on a book written by a former teacher who also stars in the film gives it more than a bit of authenticity
Tom Long, Detroit News
Fresh
These kids aren't always all right. But they are consistently riveting.
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post
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