Imagine being a middle school student and you return to your classroom after lunch only to find your teacher hanging by a noose. That’s the set up for Philippe Falardeau’s Oscar nominated feature, Monsieur Lazhar, a film adapted from the play “Bashir Lazhar” by Evelyne de la Chenelière. The story follows, Bachir Lazhar (Mohammad Fellag), a 55 year old Algerian immigrant who discovers that a well liked elementary school teacher has died and offers to step in as a substitute. Upon arrival, Bachir notices the students are in shambles, especially Alice and Simon who actually saw their teacher hanging. As Bachir works to help get his students through this dark time, he himself is coping with a death of his own and while also trying to avoid deportation from Canada.
While it does seem sort of wrong for Bachir to be taking advantage of a teacher’s death, no one else wants to take the position which is why he is hired so quickly. On the surface and all around the school he is a lighthearted, warm, and funny man that is very likable and hard for the students to dismiss despite their reluctant nature. His ability to channel the theme of death in everything the students do makes it easier for them to cope with the past events even though the principal continually warns Bachir not to do that.
The film, though a bit more dramatic, reminds me a lot of the Italian film Ciao Professore. In both films you have teachers who are out of their element and are affected by a cultural gap between the students and themselves. Eventually this gap is narrowed and students learn to appreciate their new teacher despite the difficulties they may be going through.
As you watch Bachir in and out of the classroom, you begin to realize that he is using teaching as an outlet for his own personal problems. In Algeria he was not a teacher but a restaurant owner who was married to one and his family was killed after she released a controversial book that talked about the government. Fulfilling the role of his wife in 
Canada allows him to channel his experiences with the death of a loved one and share them with the children who are experiencing the same thing. Despite being unconventional with his methods, Bachir begins to see results and the class begins to take a turn for the better.
Philippe Falardeau has done an impressive job of blending just the right amount of humor with all the necessary dramatic elements to create a rich and entertaining picture in the vein of A Beautiful Life (though not as powerful). Additionally, he managed to pull out some great performances from Mohammad Fellag (Bachir) and the children, notably Sophie Nélisse (Alice) and Émilien Néron (Simon). Watching the children act was a complete joy, they managed to capture the essence of what’s like to lose a loved one and share their torn emotions with us on the big screen. I’d keep an eye out for these children, especially Nélisse, as I don’t think we’ll be seeing the last of them in the growing pool of talented young performers.
The culmination of terrific acting, a touching story, and superb directing, Monsieur Lazhar is a charming film that rightly deserves its foreign film Oscar nomination. In the end, this is a picture that’s worth every penny and one that all should see.
Rating: Charming, heartwarming and completely satisfying to the bitter end (8/10)
Recent Comments