Monica

Realistic and delightful, Jan 9 2011

This is a phenomenal film. I saw it first in Brussels in the presence of the author of the original book, who also plays the main character, namely himself. He is a teacher in a "difficult" high school in the infamous suburbs (banlieux) of Paris, inhabited largely by second-generation French students. The students are sassy, resistent to learning in conventional ways, but imaginative, and ultimately loyal.

The author wrote the book based on his own experiences trying to bring these students round to appreciating their French language and literature. He takes no nonsense but loves the students and tries to challenge them. He told us after the screening that the students are not… Read more