Monsieur Lazhar
Tags: tragedy, romantic

Plot synopsis:
In Montreal, an elementary school teacher hangs herself. Bashir Lazhar, an Algerian immigrant, then offers his services to replace her, claiming to have taught in his home country. Desperate to fill the position, the principal takes him at his word and gives him the job. He gets to know his students despite the culture gap evident from the very first day of class and despite his difficulty adapting to the school system's constraints. As the children try to move on from their former teacher's suicide, nobody at the school is aware of Bashir's painful past, or his precarious status as a refugee. His wife, who was a teacher and writer, died along with the couple's daughter and son in an arson attack. The murderers were angered by her last book, in which she pointed a finger at those responsible for the country's reconciliation, which had led to the liberation of many perpetrators of huge crimes. The film goes on to explore Bashir's relationships with the students and faculty, and how the students come to grips with their former teacher's suicide. One student, Alice, writes an assignment on the death of their teacher, revealing the deep pain and confusion felt by each of the students.
Bashir eventually comes to be loved and respected by the students he is teaching, but the teacher's death still haunts the students. During a school dance, a student named Simon is found to have a photo of his former teacher. It is revealed that he tried to get her into trouble after she tried to help him through his family struggles. Bashir eventually gets the students to open up about the death, especially Simon, who is blamed and blames himself for causing the teacher's suicide. Eventually, some parents discover that Bashir has no teaching qualification; previously, he had run a restaurant. He is then fired from the school. He asks the principal to be able to teach one more day, convincing her by noting that the old teacher never got to say goodbye to her students. On his last day, Bashir has his students correct a fable he wrote which is a metaphor of his tragic past life in Algeria and the loss of his family in a fire. Before he leaves, one of his students, Alice (whom he professed to be his favourite to her mother) gives him a tearful hug goodbye.

Review: An Algerian immigrant, Monsieur Lazhar brings such a deep humanity to his job, that the traumatized kids are able to come to terms in some ways with what has happened.
I have grown tired of this plot line and subsequent variations, but Monsieur Lazhar is a shining example of the inspirational teacher film and the poignancy of said films if executed correctly, with honesty and maturity.Philippe Falardeau's (It's Not Me, I Swear and Congorama) film adaption of Evelyne de la Chenelière's play (she also plays Alice's mother), Monsieur Lazhar was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film category as the official Canadian submission.
The film tells the story of Bachir Lazhar (Mohamed Fellag), an Algerian immigrant hired at Montreal public grade school after the original teacher was found hanging from the ceiling of her classroom.
The film continues to show the effects of death and the ways that the children try to deal with the loss, but also their grief, which at times seem to be stifled by the school.Monsieur Lazhar, at the same time, is dealing with a loss of his own; having come to Canada seeking asylum and waiting for his wife and children to join him, only to have his family killed the night before they were supposed to leave Algeria.
No one knows of his painful past, nor of his refugee status; the school is under the impression that he is a permanent resident of Canada.Bachir notices, because of his current dealing with grief, that the children are trying to communicate or express their feelings about the death of their teacher.
He continues to witness things that lead him to believe that the children want to talk about their teacher, Martine and also of the trouble they are having trying to understand something that may well be beyond their comprehension.Monsieur Lazhar is a heart-warming, but at the same time, heart-wrenching story of how people (whether it be children or adults) trying to come to terms with the loss of a family member (albeit for the children it was a teacher, but school, at that young age, can be something like a second home).
The film features some great performances from Mohamed Fellag as Monsieur Lazhar, Émilien Néron as Simon - a guilt-ridden child that feels responsible for his teacher's suicide - and Sophie Nélisse as Alice, the surprisingly mature young girl that has the courage to speak about the effects of Martine's decisions.Kevin FilmPulse.net.
It comes from the growing relationship between this strange teacher in a strange land, and his student children, so in need of his help.The movie's cast is rich with great acting, by the kids of course, but here, if anything, they're outshone by Algerian actor Mohamed Fellag, whose face tells 1000 stories about where he has been and, perhaps, where he hopes to go.The only things not perfect are the characters, for this writer and director have been too careful to give them - even the "best" of the children - no flaws.
The school has counselors come in and the parents all try to do their best with the children and help them with the grief, guilt, sadness and other emotions that they are feeling, but unbeknownst to all of them, that the one who can truly relate to this incident and be the most help to the children at this time is Bachir, who is just getting to know the children and has never met the previous teacher, or really know anything about her.
The Power of One. Canada's entry for 2012's Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, "Monsieur Lazhar" is a quiet, sweet and deceptively simple film that tells the story of Bachir Lazhar, an Algerian refugee who offers his services as a substitute teacher for an elementary school class that has lost its teacher.
The circumstances of the teacher's death, the students' and staff's reaction to it, and Lazhar's own back-story combine to create a compelling film that has a lot to say about the barriers we place between ourselves and our children today.Mohammd Fellag, an Algerian comedian, writer and humorist, portrays Monsieur Lazhar, and is surrounded by an exceptional cast of juvenile actors, led by Sophie Nelisse and Emilien Neron.
The performances in this film are uniformly superb which, given the subject matter, is quite an accomplishment (particularly for the young actors portraying the classmates.)Lazhar's attempts to deal with his students' grief, their cultural and educational differences, the rigid requirements of an educational system, and his own difficulties and loss all culminate in a final scene of incredible power and emotion - the power of one person to connect with another, the power of one act to convey incredible meaning."Monsieur Lazhar" is worthy of the honors it has received and worth a trip to the theatre.www.worstshowontheweb.com.
And it's uncanny that this was also one of the themes being featured in this Canadian-French movie, a powerful tale revolving around a makeshift teacher and his students, moving from a period of confusion, blame and tragedy, toward reconciliation and healing for both parties.I'm pretty sure all of us have a favourite teacher, or teachers, throughout our education in schools and institutions, and I bet it is likely that they all happen to be very personable and approachable, not to mention dedicated and committed to seeing that their students do well.
They may not adhere to the school's culture, and at times may even do things to the contrary of established rules, but save for the few bad hats with ulterior motives, there's no short of innovation in their lessons, or in this instance, somewhat trying to instill some old school techniques into a class that is comfortable with new methods of learning.Beginning in very grim terms, this Canadian nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards has an elementary school student in Montreal chance upon his teacher's body, being hung from a pipe in their classroom in an apparent suicide.
Why she had to do this, which is quite deliberate and knowing jolly well who would find her, is left to be debated, as the screenplay moves to deal with the aftermath of this tragedy, where a psychologist got hired for regular counselling sessions with that teacher's class, and any other school person who needed someone to talk to.
Which mirrors how power has shifted these days from teachers, once feared in the classroom, to the students and protective parents who will have no qualms at taking on the teacher, principal and anyone else in the educational hierarchy.Mohamed Fellaq puts in a superb performance as the titular character, and we share in his earnest efforts at doing his best despite not being what he truly is., and grieve with him during his most personal of times during the movie.
writer-director Philippe Falardeau (who also did It's Not Me, I Swear!) adopts a somewhat documentary feel when dealing with scenes involving the classroom, sort of reminiscent of the Cannes Film Festival 2008 Palme d'Or winner The Class, with a myriad of student characters performed by very charismatic young actors and actresses boasting naturalness in their delivery, that it makes it seem like a real class rather than a rehearsed one.
While that may sound excessively depressing to some readers, I found a semblance of hope in this film as the characters, both young and old, try to move on with their lives and cope as best they can, and while the trauma may be a permanent part of their psyches, their seeming resilience conveys a kind of worldly maturity and acceptance.The film opens with two school children discovering a favorite, but troubled, teacher who has hung herself in her classroom while her students are at recess.
Psychologists are brought in to help the students cope with the emotional intensity of such a tragedy, and then later a Mr. Bachir Lazhar, an Algerian immigrant, presents himself to the principal as a suitable replacement for the suicide victim's class telling her how he's followed the school's trauma in the newspapers and he's available to help.
The school authorities prefer to move on from the tragic event while Mr. Lazhar can sense after a number of months that some of his students are dwelling on their former teacher's act and her reasons for doing so; he encourages them to talk in class about their feelings and for this he is rebuked.
Unlike another french film 'un class', Monsieur Lazhar deals with the issue of moving on from a tragic event, to continue carrying out the role of teaching schoolchildren.I am only half correct to say that this movie deals with the healing process, because while it seems to be that way, observers will realize that it is not quite possible to heal the wounds of all parties, due to bureaucracy, conflicts and cultural differences.
Superficially it is simply the story of a migrant new to Canada who is hired as a long-term relief teacher for an upper level primary school but as we all know, the devil is in the de3tails and these details are what constitute a fascinating look at the character's universal humanity.As the students become used to Monsieur Lazhar we learn of his background as well as a few insights into this class of young humanity with all of its own personal maturation.
This tightly written gem manages to pack a powerful emotional punch, while avoiding clichés and "cheap shots" - no easy task in a film that examines the emotions of 11/12-year-old schoolchildren and their teachers.The acting is for the most part charmingly low-key, and the action minimal, leaving the viewer wanting more, right up to the calmly controlled yet emotional ending (no spoilers here!).
'Monsieur Lazhar' tells a beautiful and gentle story of a sixth-grade class whose students are trying to cope with the suicide of their previous teacher, Martine.
The class and Lazhar, both prove to be mutually beneficial to each other in coping with their losses.It's discussions on loss (death), violence and student-teacher relationships are intriguing.Mohamed Fellag gives an amazing performance as the new teacher, Monsieur Lazhar and holds the movie together.
Canadian director Philippe Falardeau's film "Monsieur Lazhar" has not only proved to be a huge box office success but also managed to elicit favorable reviews from film critics.All this positive response has helped to create an advantageous environment for his film.In the wake of such a fabulous success,it is somewhat difficult for an independent observer to express a dissenting opinion.However,popularity of a work of art is not the only real indicator of its true worth.It is in this sense that film critic Lalit Rao viewed this film during 5th Bangalore International Film Festival 2012.
As a popular film with a compassionate message,Monsieur Lazhar suffers from various glaring inaccuracies which recur throughout the film.Most of them are related to the appointment and firing from the job of the film's protagonist.Hence,it can be said that the entire film can fall flat on its face if this error is noticed by many viewers.The portrayal of a school teacher and his work environment is also highly predictable and leaves a lot to be desired.
Soon, we may agree with the statement of Phillip French in The Observer that "Lazhar is a man of tact, probity and a rich sense of humor." Taking responsibility for the class, the children who lost their previous teacher in the most 'nightmarish' circumstances, his arrival at the school rightly makes the whole film more and more thought provoking and convincing.
A Canadian film, set in Quebec, deals with the sudden death by suicide of a popular teacher at a middle school, and the effect on the twelve year old students there.
For me it one of the best independent films of the year, right up there with 'A Separation' and way better than the over- hyped 'Beasts of the Southern Wild'.Monsieur Lazhar starts with death but ends with a life-affirming embrace.
It is the story of how an Algerian immigrant helps a group of school children come to terms with the suicide of a teacher.
"Monsieur Lazhar" is a sweet little film about an Algerian refugee who, after the suicide of a well-loved teacher, finds his way into the school to take over the class and eventually finds his way into the lives and hearts of the students shaken by an expected and complicated loss.Written and directed by Philippe Falardeau, the film does not try to be something more than an observation, which is nice and refreshing.
Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Monsieur Lazhar is an elegantly crafted, patiently narrated & wonderfully performed cinema that brings on screen a bittersweet story of love, loss & grief shared between a teacher & his students.
And while it may look like a cinema about teacher-pupil bonding, Monsieur Lazhar is much more than that.Set in Montreal, Monsieur Lazhar follows Bachir Lazhar; an Algerian immigrant who is hired to replace an elementary school teacher after she commits suicide in her classroom.
The film does capture Lazhar's relationship with his students & faculty but what makes it such an endearing experience is the evident difference in two cultures, his struggle in adapting to school's educational reforms, the discussions he has with his pupils about tender issues & his own tragic loss.Cinematography makes brilliant use of the cold colour palette, the ambiance of a classroom is authentically captured, camera movements are very relaxed, Editing makes sure almost every scene contributes to the story in one way or another plus the whole picture is steadily paced, use of background score is minimal but effective whenever it makes its presence felt and the performance by every cast member is impressive.On an overall scale, Monsieur Lazhar is an heartwarming & heartbreaking cinema that offers a rare glimpse at the roles teachers are asked to play not only by the school system but the students' parents as well, and has a thing or two to say about the lies we tell our children.
It also realistically shows how to deal with loss and tragedy, how adults deal with it, how children deal with it and how they can help each other.The performances are brilliant all around, all the kids were really amazing and Mohamed Fellag who portrayed Mr. Lazhar really captured his character.
Similar to another film which I watched recently, THE CLASS, MONSIEUR LAZHAR deals with the goings-on in a classroom and the students' relationship with their teacher.
This film is about a substitute teacher who fills in after a class teacher hanged herself inside the classroom."Monsieur Lazhar" tells how people in the school cope after a tragedy.
As the movie opens, we learn that Bachir Lazhar (played by the talented Mohamed Fellag), an Algerian immigrant, has been hired to replace a teacher who has committed suicide.What I expected was a film about how, with gentleness and kindness, Mr. Lazhar overcame prejudice to give the students a better understanding of themselves and of this tragedy.
Monsieur Lazhar is a special human being, who has suffered great personal tragedy and while seeking refuge in Canada, he takes up teaching a class of 11 year old children, recovering from the suicide of their former teacher.
Most of the story takes place in a sixth grade class in a Montreal school where the eponymous Algerian political refugee is taken on as a teacher in traumatic circumstances for both him and the class who each have to deal with loss and grief.Mohamed Fellag is excellent as the inspiring Bachir Lazhar, but the schoolchildren - notably Émilien Néron as the angry Simon and Sophie Néliss as the mature Alice - are amazing.
You don't really hear what is being said until you're in the first row." The children at a primary school in Montreal are definitely in the first row in Philippe Falardeau's Monsieur Lazhar, the story of a sixth grade class in Canada attempting to deal with the emotional trauma resulting from the sudden and shocking loss of their teacher.
A shell-shocked Quebec elementary school class suffering the wake of their teacher's abrupt suicide is treated to the foreign (Algerian) auspices of Monsieur Bachir Lazhar, revealed to the audience but not the other characters to be a political refugee dealing with a devastating loss of his own.
Monsieur Lazhar Written and directed by Philippe Falardeau (2011) 94 minutes Canada's official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 84th Academy Awards 2012.
Monsieur Lazhar's nomination followed Incendies' the previous year, but I didn't think Monsieur Lazhar was as powerful as Incendies, and despite being Canadian, agree with the Academy's decision to hand the 2011 Foreign Language Oscar to Iran's A Separation instead.The premise of the movie sounds vaguely familiar- a new teacher steps into a school with students from another world, and inspires them.
In this case, Lazhar is an Algerian refugee who teaches at a Quebecois school after a teacher hangs herself there, and must help the students cope.
Canada's 2011 entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar "Monsieur Lazhar" is a sensitive and beautifully acted character study of the effects of suicide on a class of French-Canadian school children and their teacher.
The movie looks at both the title character's history (and why he moved to Canada), and also the students' attempts to deal with their teacher's suicide (which the school tries to avoid discussing).I had never known that "Monsieur Lazhar" was originally based on a play (of course, I rarely attend plays).
Basically, the movie is about the teacher's and students' relationship with each other, and how influence from the school's upper echelons play into this (also coming into play is the cultural gap and Mr. Lazhar's status as an immigrant).
"Monsieur Lazhar" is a substitute teacher who approaches a school principal to get work.
He is an Algerian immigrant named Bachir Lazhar(Mohamed Fellag, who is credited as Fellag in the film), and he is willing to work as a substitute teacher.