Monsieur Lazhar (2011)

At a Montréal public grade school, an Algerian immigrant is hired to replace a popular teacher who committed suicide in her classroom. While helping his students deal with their grief, his own recent loss is revealed.

Director:

Philippe Falardeau

Writer:

Philippe Falardeau (screenplay)

Stars:

Mohamed Fellag, Sophie Nélisse, Émilien Néron

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 28 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mohamed Fellag	...	Bachir Lazhar (as Fellag)
Sophie Nélisse	...	Alice L'Écuyer
Émilien Néron	...	Simon
Marie-Ève Beauregard	...	Marie-Frédérique
Vincent Millard	...	Victor
Seddik Benslimane	...	Abdelmalek
Louis-David Leblanc	...	Boris
Gabriel Verdier	...	Jordan
Marianne Soucy-Lord	...	Shanel
Danielle Proulx	...	Mme Vaillancourt
Brigitte Poupart	...	Claire
Jules Philip	...	Gaston
Louis Champagne	...	Concierge
Daniel Gadouas	...	Me Gilbert Danis
Francine Ruel	...	Mme Dumas

Storyline

Bachir Lazhar, an Algerian immigrant, is hired to replace an elementary school teacher who died tragically. While the class goes through a long healing process, nobody in the school is aware of Bachir's painful former life; nor that he is at risk of being deported at any moment. Adapted from Evelyne de la Cheneliere's play, Bachir Lazhar depicts the encounter between two distant worlds and the power of self-expression. Using great sensitivity and humor, Philippe Falardeau follows a humble man who is ready to transcend his own loss in order to accompany children beyond the silence and taboo of death.

---

Plot Keywords:

school | teacher | classroom | immigrant | algerian | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, a disturbing image and brief language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Canada

Language:

French English Arabic

Release Date:

7 March 2012 (Belgium)

Also Known As:

Canim Ögretmenim

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$112,190 (USA) (13 April 2012)

Gross:

$2,009,041 (USA) (5 October 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

micro_scope

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Canada's official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 84th Academy Awards 2012.

---

Connections

Featured in The 84th Annual Academy Awards (2012)

User Reviews

The Human Condition: at the grade school level

This absorbing film, set in Montreal, ties together two tragedies and by such a linkage shows our capacity for human understanding and emotional empathy. 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. Does he need the work (we find out his legal status is uncertain and he's in danger of being deported) or is some unconscious empathetic force driving him toward working with these students since he seems to understand their pain? 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. We eventually discover the horrific tragedy surrounding his own family and why he's fled to Canada, and from this we can understand and appreciate his empathy for his students and his understanding of their emotional plight ("why did she do it in her own classroom during school?"). The film has many touching moments as this strange Algerian immigrant explains the "unexplainable" to his students and they in turn seem to provide him with an emotional outlet, and a purpose, to counter his own suffering.

Some reviewers have questioned the film's seeming lack of total emotional resolution, but life can be open-ended. Will these children completely heal (as much as they can) and will Mr. Lazhar's half-year encounter with these kindred souls give him the emotional basis for sustaining a meaningful life in a foreign environment? We don't really know, but some of the signs that the film depicts seem to be favorable. A very worthy film from Canada!