Film: Entre Les Murs (2008)

Entre Les Murs, or The Class as its known State-side, is a film that follows the lives of Monsieur Marin, (François Bégaudeau) the stubborn and sincere French language teacher and his rowdy, impish, multi-ethnic class just outside the bourgeoisie walls of Paris. This 2006 Palm d'Or winner at Cannes Film Festival is based on Bégaudeau's book and chronicles in a pseudo-documentary style a year in the life of a teacher's struggles with the Parisian public school system. The movie effectively highlights the clashes of culture, and the ever-present racial tensions in a "post-colonial" France; although many of the students are essentially French by birth, their identity remains that of their ancestors--mostly from Africa and the Caribbean. The themes of assimilation and integration versus the quest for independent identity and diversity are all too familiar in Europe today, and this movie highlights with destructive consequences its cost.

At the start of the movie, Monsieur Marin exudes a steady, patient, and witty demeanor-- clearly revealing his ability to challenge and engage the class through stimulating debates. As the year progresses, however, his shortcomings as an educator become more apparent and are agonizing to watch as his gentle commanding voice and his witty, jovial character betray him as he navigates through the testing waters of the pubescent and defiant classroom. Frayed by the constant rebelliousness, Marin seeks refuge behind the disengaged and disdainful Principal and public school system-- a cowardly act in the eyes an audience, but most importantly, in the eyes of his own pupils.

Despite all good intentions by Marin and others, Entre Les Murs reveals without pretense the imperfections of a teacher, the flawed nature of a school system and a fractured society.