The WHF Film Club

[strapped for cash]

I'm perfectly happy with the anagram (which is not to suggest that all Shewls are tuncs).

 

[Hi-FiOutlaw]

Tenby, or little town of the fishes, or little fortress of the fish.

Indeed; though I've no idea what this has to do with Monsieur Lazhar, or the film club thread more generally. Perhaps I'm missing something.

Don't get me wrong, contributions are welcome, but it'd be nice if they some bearing on the subject under discussion.

Think about it Strapped.

As I said, Shewl Tunc.

Shewl Tunc...? What the hell that means... :?

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

I'm perfectly happy with the anagram (which is not to suggest that all Shewls are tuncs).

I am partly one, Shewl, not a Tunc.

 

[strapped for cash]

I'm perfectly happy with the anagram (which is not to suggest that all Shewls are tuncs).

I am partly one, Shewl, not a Tunc.

I'm not sure which letters should be capitalised here. Certainly not the "T!"

So anyway, Monsieur Lazhar... I recall pitching in early on discussion of prior selections, so I thought I'd sit back and see what others think before contributing.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

Back to the film.

I really liked Monsieur Lahzar. A relatively simple story, but told with real feeling and emotion, and definitely a film I would like to see again sometime in the future.

Good choice WHO. :clap:

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

I'm perfectly happy with the anagram (which is not to suggest that all Shewls are tuncs).

I am partly one, Shewl, not a Tunc.

I'm not sure which letters should be capitalised here. Certainly not the "T!"

No, not the T.

 

[strapped for cash]

I also should have said "not all Shewl are tuncs" (rather than "not all Shewls are tuncs"), though I think we can put that digression behind us.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

It has a very unorthodox and shocking start!

A primary school teacher is found hanged by a 10 years old boy in the class room!

What were the intetions of the teachers act...? Why there and not at home?

Didn't the boy believe that the teacher hung herself in the classroom, knowing he would discover the hanging body, as he was on milk collection duty that morning?

If I remember correctly, some effort was made to ease the guilt that the boy felt, though the possibility that this was indeed the case remained possible, if not quite likely.

 

[expat_mike]

The first time I watched ML, I thought that it was a simple story of how both teacher and class, help each other to cope with tragedy.

After the second viewing I realised that it is a more complex film, with several intertwining threads, plus the twist in the tail. For instance:

1 - ML who has no teaching experience, is far more in tune with the needs of the pupils, than most of the teachers, whose focus is on managing their work, within the guidelines of the politically correct academic program.

2 - The headteacher seems a particularly unsympathetic person to be in charge of a school - she has lost sight of the function of a school which is to educate.

3 - There is the suggestion of a potential romance with Claire, but the film ends before it materialises.

4 - There is the suggestion that the children cope better with tragedy, rather than the adults who seem more concerned with taking no risks with managing the situation, and unwilling to allow discussion about the events, which may release trapped feelings/emotions.

I also thought that the children acted well - conveying an air of uncertainty as they faced up to the events.

 

[strapped for cash]

If I remember correctly, some effort was made to ease the guilt that the boy felt

I read a review of Monsieur Lazhar that applauded the film's lack of grandstanding ("O Captain! My Captain!"); but the film stole another famous line from a Robin Williams film ("It's not your fault").

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

What are your thoughts on ML Strapped?

 

[John Duncan]

If I remember correctly, some effort was made to ease the guilt that the boy felt

I read a review of Monsieur Lazhar that applauded the film's lack of grandstanding ("O Captain! My Captain!"); but the film stole another famous line from a Robin Williams film ("It's not your fault").

Interesting, I didn't spot that.

I thought it was a great film. I just watched it the once, on PC (not full screen) with script scrolling down the left hand side. My French wouldn't have handled it alone...

It reminded me of several things (though mostly tangentially) - Dead Poets Society, Let The Right One In, for example, and I too applaud its lack of showboating - the hanging at the beginning and perhaps the boy's outpouring of grief towards the end being the forgiveable exceptions, to my mind.

There are certainly hints in the film that the teacher hanged herself because of - or even for - the boy. He certainly believes it. "It's all for you, Damien", anyone?

 

[BenLaw]

I enjoyed this film a lot. The protagonist was a compelling, although extremely sympathetically drawn, character. (You may have noticed my early reference to Mr Schneebly from School of Rock, perhaps one to compare and contrast?!) It was a fairly simple idea, with a straightforward progression of the narrative, allowing the viewer time and space to think about the emotional impact of the personal tragedies on the characters. I thought Lazhar was very well acted. I can think of many excellent child acting performances but I can't think of a film where there was such a number of convincing performances from children.

I'm not really sure where the film took me apart from being nice and enjoyable film, but I guess that's enough.

 

[strapped for cash]

What are your thoughts on ML Strapped?

I enjoyed Monsieur Lazhar. I even found it rather moving, if overall a little slight.

The filmmakers hinted at weighty issues -- colonialism's legacy and inequality, issues of immigration, cultural difference, and miscegenation -- without really taking a stance.

In other words, I wished the film had been braver. La Noire de and Hidden, for example, are highly critical of colonialism and enduring inequalities, whilst playing on middle class guilt.

With Monsieur Lazhar, it seemed the filmmakers didn't want to offend anyone. I was surprised, for instance, at just how welcoming French-Canadian society appeared; and how accommodating the immigration officials seemed.

In some cases it's nice when issues are handled subtly and audiences are allowed to make up their own mind. Here, however, I felt the film glossed over pertinent issues that could have been addressed in more interesting and challenging ways.

 

[BenLaw]

overall a little slight. . .

The filmmakers hinted at weighty issues . . . without really taking a stance.

. . . Here, however, I felt the film glossed over pertinent issues that could have been addressed in more interesting and challenging ways.

Pretty much sums up what I was thinking. And contrary to JD's views that's more than enough for me to stop it moving from being a good film to a great film.

 

[John Duncan]

4 - There is the suggestion that the children cope better with tragedy, rather than the adults who seem more concerned with taking no risks with managing the situation, and unwilling to allow discussion about the events, which may release trapped feelings/emotions.

Agreed. The children say it explicitly, I think - "Everyone thinks we're traumatised. But it's the adults who are." And isn't that always the case?

What did everybody think of the 'fable' at the end? Bit too obvious?

 

[strapped for cash]

"It's all for you, Damien", anyone?

He had a look of Harvey Stephens about him. (The remake didn't happen; at least that's what I keep telling myself.)

 

[strapped for cash]

Pretty much sums up what I was thinking. And contrary to JD's views that's more than enough for me to stop it moving from being a good film to a great film.

Not that the film had nothing to say. As others have noted, it offered interesting commentary on "cotton wool culture" and the filmmakers took a pretty clear view on this subject.

Nevertheless, I felt there were missed opportunities to say a great deal more; and to represent contemporary French-Canadian (and indeed global) culture in more honest and insightful ways.

I agree that the child actors were excellent; very natural and not remotely brattish. I also agree that it's a good (rather than great) film.

 

[John Duncan]

I agree that there were opportunities to say more on some subjects that were not taken, but that does not necessarily mean they were missed, it may have been deliberate. Can you expand on the ones you mention though, and discuss how you think they might have been handled differently (or handled full stop).

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

Is France's colonial past not more of an issue in France, rather than for French/Canadians?

I think there's probably more of an issue between English and French speaking Canadians, and the French/Canadians are possibly quite welcoming of French speakers of their colonial past.

I may be way off here, but things I have heard from my Canadian aunty in the past, suggest there is definitely a division between the English and French speaking Canadians.

 

[strapped for cash]

Can you expand on the ones you mention though, and discuss how you think they might have been handled differently (or handled full stop).

Sure, we could have learned a great deal more about the titular character's political background; longstanding political tensions in Algeria as a legacy of French colonial rule; and the politics behind his flight.

The filmmakers could have taken a more honest view of tensions in French Canadian quarters with regard to immigration and asylum. To my knowledge, this is a less controversial issue in French Canada than the UK; though there are still political divisions. At times the film felt like a promotional video for French-Canadian immigration services.

In addition, there was really little said about the possibility of a sexual relationship between a white Canadian female teacher and an Algerian immigrant. Rather, the film dodged this potential turn-off for some viewers by ensuring the storyline was nipped in the bud.

In short, with the exception of commentary on mollycoddling kids, the film presented a rather utopian view of French Canada as a perfectly tolerant and integrated society.

For me, the difficulty arises from the filmmakers' allusions to weighty issues without actually dealing with them. As I say, I felt they could have been far braver. Indeed, such courage could have made for a more interesting (or less slight) film.

 

[strapped for cash]

Is France's colonial past not more of an issue in France, rather than for French/Canadians?

French colonialism is certainly a more pertinent issue in France and its former African and Asian colonies; but French colonialism's legacy accounts for the titular character's back-story. The film didn't take a stance on this beyond suggesting that Monsieur Lazhar came from a bad place.

 

[Hi-FiOutlaw]

It has a very unorthodox and shocking start!

A primary school teacher is found hanged by a 10 years old boy in the class room!

What were the intetions of the teachers act...? Why there and not at home?

Didn't the boy believe that the teacher hung herself in the classroom, knowing he would discover the hanging body, as he was on milk collection duty that morning?

If I remember correctly, some effort was made to ease the guilt that the boy felt, though the possibility that this was indeed the case remained possible, if not quite likely.

I don't think is that simple, I didn't quite get why in the class room...

But in fact not much is said about the reasons of the teachers hanging.

I also think that the film is about the ability that we have to deal with the Loss of some one, the tolerance of emotional distrass that we have, some of us have less tolerance, that's why some people get depressed more often, or suicide them selfs.

And other have more tolerance to emotional distress and don't give up so easily, like Mounsieur Lazhar, that have lost all the family and there he was in another country, and taking the chance by offerng him self to a job that he din't have qualifications.

 

[Hi-FiOutlaw]

4 - There is the suggestion that the children cope better with tragedy, rather than the adults who seem more concerned with taking no risks with managing the situation, and unwilling to allow discussion about the events, which may release trapped feelings/emotions.

I also thought that the children acted well - conveying an air of uncertainty as they faced up to the events.

I was about to write that down on my first post, but was in a hurry to write a work report... But now i've all the time...

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

It has a very unorthodox and shocking start!

A primary school teacher is found hanged by a 10 years old boy in the class room!

What were the intetions of the teachers act...? Why there and not at home?

Didn't the boy believe that the teacher hung herself in the classroom, knowing he would discover the hanging body, as he was on milk collection duty that morning?

If I remember correctly, some effort was made to ease the guilt that the boy felt, though the possibility that this was indeed the case remained possible, if not quite likely.

I didn't quite get why in the class room...

in fact not much is said about the reasons of the teachers hanging.

taking the chance by offerng him self to a job that he din't have qualifications.

Because the teacher knew that on that day the boy would be collecting the milk for his classmates, and therefore would be in class first.

Not much is said, but what is said is very important. The other kids blame the boy because he has accused that teacher of inappropriate behaviour, and this is possibly/probably the reason for the teacher hanging herself.

I think he wanted to teach as a tribute to his teacher wife, he wanted to continue her work.