Bittersweet Tale of Hope, Teaching, and Bucking the System

Rating: 10/10 (26 September 2006)

Too many people are afraid to see foreign language films - and it's a pity more people didn't get a chance to see this in the theatre. It's a great movie for anyone who has ever been changed by a teacher's efforts, or frustrated by an unjust system.
Set in post-World War II France it's about a teacher who finds himself posted at a school for troubled boys. Although the corporal punishment is harsh, the boys don't seem to have any respect for the severe headmaster...nor anyone else. It is in this environment that the gentle Clement Mathieu arrives and struggles to find a way to break through to the boys and bring humanity back to the wild gaggle of youth.
The film is well made and feels old fashioned and more leisurely paced from a far less "sped-up" time. Not a "feel good" movie and not a downer, more bittersweet, but well-worth the effort if you run across it.