To Be and to Have (2002) User Reviews

Simply wonderfull

[Pete-195 · 9/10 · 1 February 2003]

Simply wonderfull is the only way for me to describe this film. No film is perfect, but this film comes awfully close! A beautifully shot film about school kids and their teacher in a French school in the Auvergne. I had the privilege to watch the film during the International Film Festival Rotterdam and hear the directors comments afterwards.

All children (appr. 20) ranging from age 4 to 12 (my guess) in one room with a teacher who really found his vocation in life. The school was chosen after visiting numerous schools in France. One of the main reasons, according to the director, for choosing this particular school was the fact that is had all children in 1 room and that room had ample space, which meant that no addional lighting was needed.

In the course of the film you get the feeling that the camera (and therefore us, the viewers) really gets invisible, allthough that was absolutely not the case. "The children behaved completely different when the camera was there". I didn't notice that. You really feel for them afterwards. This includes the teacher who is finishing his last year and will retire. One of the most touching moments for me was the last shot at the end of the school year when all the children leave for the last time and the teacher has a few emotional moments alone, realizing that this is the end, both for the children and himself. The moment is even more poignant when you realize that it is not acted, it is real...

Do not expect a high pace film with lots of drama and action. In the beginning I had a little difficulty with the pace of the film, which seems slow. Especially the "in-between shots" seem long, but after a while I got totally gripped in it and these shots really felt right. They got me down from my real-life fast pace (such as it is) and settled me down.

I could go on and on about what is so wonderfull about this film, but my advise: If you see one film this year, see this one !!

Wash your hands, Jojo

[ferguson-6 · 8/10 · 12 February 2004]

Greetings again from the darkness. Wonderful, award-winning documentary about George Lopez and his one room school house in rural France. So many thoughts rush through the viewer's head as we watch this incredibly patient man battle through the daily challenges of teaching kids ages 4 to 12. Young Jojo will win your heart as the eager to play boy who would undoubtedly be subjected to doses of Ridlin in the U.S. Jojo's charm and openness are in stark contrast to the older children who seem to keep their emotions pent up to play along with the expectations of maturity. Personalities are obvious by age 4 or 5 and we have no trouble looking forward to see the type of teens and adults they will become. This environment offers so many advantages to the "pack 30 in a classroom and demand robotic behavior" that has become the norm in our education system. Teachers have become disciplinarians by force rather than life educators like Mr. Lopez. Yes, I laughed many times during this one, but only as my heart was breaking while dreaming of what could be for kids. The scenes with the families are torturous to watch and should provide insight into how many parents undermine even the best teachers. Should be required viewing for all parents and teachers. We should all ask ourselves, "what is the point of taking the eagerness and desire learn away from kids?"

I Have To Be Honest ...

[writers_reign · 8/10 · 9 December 2004]

... and say that this is one of the warmest and most accomplished documentaries of the last few years. Deceptive simplicity is not the easiest thing to pull off but here it works perfectly. The thing is that there's no way to tell people who haven't seen it that a film that spans about six months in a one-room schoolhouse in the Auvergne with teacher and pupils being rather than playing themselves is so rewarding. Winter turns into Spring, Spring becomes early Summer. That's it. The changes in the pupils are less obvious, more felt than seen. The teacher, in his last year before retirement is far less academically gifted than Mr. Chips but he is Real as opposed to the fictional Chips and both are imbued with the hard-to-pin-down qualities that make good teachers. A second viewing, about a year later found the film holding up well. 9/10

One of the most touching films I've ever seen.

[bmyatt_uk · 15 August 2003]

I didnt want to go and see this film. seriously. I got dragged along to see it in London as part of my media studies course, and me and my friends were determiend to get out of seeing it, any way we possibly could, and go shopping instead.

needless to say, we didnt manage it, and I'm actually pretty glad.

this was one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. coming from a family where both my parents are teaching in the same age-range as mr Lopez, this film had a certain mirror-image quality for me, which made it hit even closer to home. Being British, some of tend to look a the French as an Alien species (sorry!) and seeing a French teacher in some of the same situations as my parents of faced was amazingly poignant.

the amount of time and Effort that Lopez put into his teaching was beautiful to behold. his compassion and cool manner makes me think that just about every school in the world can benefit from a teacher like him.

In criticism, however, I do beleive that the editing was used to make it appear that Lopez remained PERMANENTLY calm. I've been with teachers in a classroom situation, and even with a class that small, its impossiblwe to keep your cool all the time. I would have appreciated some scenes of Lopez having to deal with any anger he might have occasionally faced. it might have added even more humanity to his persoanlity, and although I empathises with him, the only pure emotion we see from him is at the end, when the tears in his eyes as his class leaves are painfully apparent.

9/10.

Documentary as impressionism

[Barakist · 10/10 · 21 November 2004]

A stunning document on the nature of education as captured in beautiful, impressionistic pulses. The sights, the sounds; a construction of utmost simplicity whose structure, diaphanous and fluid, ignores commentary in favor of the subtleties of humanity, maturation and interaction that emerge from the froth of randomness that tethers each day to the next.

"Être et Avoir," the title, is presumably a reference to the two most important verbs used (and the earliest learned) in both French and English, "To be and To have," echoing the film's theme of capturing the struggle to acquire knowledge and, eventually, the struggle to impart it.

An observation of the humanity of young people.

[busreyreed · 10/10 · 27 December 2004]

This is a real feel good movie. A documentary that captures life in a small village in France anchored by the one room school and it's teacher Monsieur Lopez. Life is not easy for family farmers anywhere but this film shows the rewards of this particular village school. The older children show warmth and protection toward the little ones. It is the whole idea that it takes a village and if not that at least a good teacher. His clam demeanor is reflected in the calmness of the children - that is if they are not too upset, but Monsier never yells, at least not during the film. My french professor yelled constantly and insulted every imperfection, but Monsier Lopez is gentle and kind even when he scolds his students. He follows a cadence that seems to be an echo of the countryside where they live and the movie seems to also follow this cadence. Those of us who have spent most of our lives in cities might feel the urge to scream during the movie, but resist that urge and try to observe and not direct the flow of the film. There are wonderful moments of the humanity of young children and pre-adolescents. Some are funny and some are heart rendering, but all are real.

Very good documentary

[LeRoyMarko · 8/10 · 21 March 2004]

Very interesting way of presenting the way education is given in rural France. In fact, it's probably a way of teaching that's on the way of extinction. Because it doesn't really reflect the reality of the school system of today. But it's still a good movie for the humanity that transpires from it. And it make us think about our own education system and its flaws. More than teachers, we need life educators. People who will show kids the beauty of life. Who will show them to open their eyes and see the beauty that surrounds them, to smell life, to hear all of nature's sounds, to feel with their hands life and to taste what's good in life. The movie is full of a sentimentalism that wins us over. That's ok, we need that some times.

Out of 100, I gave it 84. That's good for *** out of ****.

Seen in Toronto, at the Cineplex Odeon Carleton Cinemas, on February 23rd, 2003.

One of the most beautiful documentaries i have ever seen

[danny-watson · 9/10 · 5 January 2004]

This "documentary" starts very slow and some may begin to lose interest in it.. I plead with you not too. If you make it thru the first 10 minutes then your lives will undoubtedly be improved. The film is set in a very very rural French school. One teacher teaches all pupils from their first school day up to when they are ready ( which seems to be a matter for debate ) to go to middle school. It becomes evident as the film progresses that the teacher needs the pupils as much as they need him. the school and pupils are his life, which in itself is not disimilar from their own.

I would have given it 10/10 but it ends all too soon... I now need to find out what happens to the teacher and pupils after the film ends. It is a film that has changed my life.. and it is not often that one can say that

clever, well constructed documentary with some beautiful landscapes

[TheNorthernMonkee · 7/10 · 19 June 2005]

SPOILERS One of the most important parts of any childhood is the first few years of schooling. With a good teacher and a friendly environment, a child can learn things which will help him for the rest of his life. Whether in Britain, America, France or elsewhere, this stage is crucial to any developing child.

Perhaps the most important thing about this young stage in life is how good your teacher is. If they know their stuff and can inspire children, that teacher can have a permanent effect on a child. In 2002, documentary director Nicholas Philibert filmed a small class in a quiet French village. With beautiful landscapes and some amazing cinematography, Philibert's "Etre et avoir" or "To Be and To Have" is an impressive work which reminds us of our own childhoods and shows just how much a good teacher can effect a child.

Georges Lopez has been working at the same school in rural France for twenty years. With 18 months left till retirement, Lopez will deep down always be a teacher. Inspiring a class of four to 11 year olds, we are shown a period of time through which Lopez will demonstrate just how good a teacher can be.

Whether the beautiful snow covered beginning to the summer conclusion, the true beauty of "Etre et avoir" is the landscape and the way director Philibert shows it. Visually satisfying, the documentary shows us images of an outside world where life flourishes.

Inside the classroom, the documentary is equally amazing. Whether it's Monsier Lopez dictating to the children, or the often distracted Johan (or JoJo), lives are shaped in the classroom in front of the camera. The children are a varied collection of children who all love their teacher and who are taking part in one of the most important parts of their lives. Brilliantly shot, the film manages to capture the teaching skills of Lopez whilst displaying the innocence of the children who love him.

Ironically the finest moments in the documentary are actually away from the school. With parents helping their children with homework, the difference in styles is brilliant. Whether it's the quiet parent watching their child work, or the vocal family who all team up to help their child, all the families involved are reminders of how crucial a family life can be too. That second mentioned family in particular also give us the funniest moment of the film where they bicker between themselves over whether the boy's homework is right or not. This is a normal hard working family, and the scene is just yet another reminder of how real the story actually is.

There's little point trying to deny that in terms of plot, relatively little happens in this story. Unlike more recent American documentaries, it doesn't have some major point which it tries to force across. What "Etre et avoir" does is that it reminds us of the innocence of childhood and our own school lives. It shows us how a brilliant teacher can inspire children, and it reminds us that the early school years are crucial to a child's development. The story doesn't seem to literally go anywhere, but just like everywhere else, this real world demonstration demonstrates a gradual change over a period of time. Often the biggest plot developments are those which happen so gradually, that you barely notice them.

As a reminder of childhood, "Etre et avoir" is a superb documentary. Mixing absolutely gorgeous landscape images with the lives of a small village, the story shows us just how crucial these early years are for children. Georges Lopez is a superb teacher, and combining his skills with a solid family life, these children should be set for life. A masterful piece of film making.

to have

[Semih · 9/10 · 8 August 2003]

Since everybody comments on how beautiful this film is, which I absolutely agree it is, I might as well comment on some technical details i noticed. I love documentaries. Voyeurism comes with loving cinema (or is it the other way around?) and what better way to satisfy this urge than watching a documentary about real people, right? With the advent of digital technology there are many docs being made with digital video. And every once in a while it is a blessing to be able to see a documentary shot on film, and on good old nostalgic 16mm. Not only does it bring back memories of documentaries from the pre-DV era, but also it warms up the screen and makes the characters more personable. The editing is marvelous here. The attention to continuity of sound worked and gives us a nicely flowing picture. Most children are shot at eye level, bringing us viewers face to face with them; rather than seeing childrens heads from above: the adult angle. The patience of the teacher is inspiring. The moments of kids with their families remind us of education as a collective community effort. And prizeful moments like the fear of a kid's first day at school, or fights between two kids, are beautifully documented events that most of us probably have been through in our school years. The almost cinema-verite approach avoids the monotonous talking-head approach that many other documentaries like to use. Overall this film is very inspiring, and pleasing. And kids are always going to be cute, and the filmmakers use that as one of their strengths.

tres chic

[BuffsRawlinson · 7/10 · 4 June 2008]

Don't they salute the Flag, Pledge Allegiance or hold Assemblies in French schools? I did not see any reference to the World outside the rural part of France: is that any help to the next generation of French students trying to survive in a modern world?

By the age of 6 or so all of us at school were expected to be able to locate England and the main Dominions, Colonies and Commonwealth members. Maybe they cannot do tha in France for good reason?

I can see the point of this movie; it celebrates the joy of looking inward in a French way. Nothing wrong with that, I'm just saying. It's cute, amusing and diversionary but perhaps there is a temptation to deify this beyond its self referential framework?

A story of a rural Canadian, American or English school could be equally appealing: perhaps it's the effect of being a non English speaking / foreign language movie that moves it up through the ranks.

Do go and watch this - don't take my word for it. Tongues in cheek are in season at the moment. The teacher is sincerity personified and the story of his Spanish father's migration to France, his parents' financial sacrifices and the hidden sacrifices he has made in his life go to make this a story that is more interesting about the man than the children. Break out the sincerity popcorn folks and wallow in French arcadia for an hour or two; can't hurt can it?

the way life should be...

[acrisisblog · 9/10 · 12 July 2005]

I live in Maine where the state motto here is "Maine...the way life should be." That's the thought that went through my mind as I watched this film. It stars George Lopez, a french school teacher and his one room school house in rural France. He has about a dozen pupils from age 5-11, and we get to know them through their interactions with Lopez as well as visits with them at home. His classroom has never seen ADHD, Learning Disabilities or Emotional handicaps. We only see children acting like children, and he prepares them for the next stage of their education; "middle school." That's when these farm kids will leave his cloistered classroom and enter the 'real world.' I admire Mr.Lopez. He has known his whole life that he wanted to be a teacher and he has passion about his chosen career. If only our children could have this experience. Maybe they wouldn't be computer literate, but they would have something more, 6yrs with a strong, sensitive, moral male role model. In his school kids learn to communicate and to problem solve. We watch the highest art of teaching children to read, write, think, and process.

You won't believe that watching a year in the life of a one room school in France can be such a "feel-good" time. It will make you wish they had an episode each year so we could share the joy Lopez must feel to see his children grow. Like I said, "It's the way life should be."

A Nutshell Revoew: (DVD) To Be and To Have (2002)

[DICK STEEL · 7/10 · 26 October 2007]

The thing that caught my eye to picking up this documentary DVD from the library was a cute kid with dirty hands soiled by paint, and the plenty of high flying accolades bestowed on the film by reputable critics and publications. Naturally my interest was piqued, but after watching this Nicholas Philibert directed documentary, while it had its charming moments, it doesn't warrant, in my opinion, some of the praises that it had garnered.

George Lopez is a teacher in a small town, and has to handle the challenge of educating his students, ranging from 3 years of age, to 11. Being a small town, naturally resources are limited, and he has not only to cater his methods to teach his students of different capabilities, but also to tackle a myriad of subjects, ranging from art, to mathematics, to language too. Talk about multi-tasking, and extreme dedication to the job (most I guess would have bolted given the workload, and responsibility), he doesn't find the need to raise his voice at those who misbehave, choosing instead to reason with them like adults, using his soft voice to win the most hardened of hearts.

But the stars of the documentary are the children. Philibert had revealed in an interview (included in the DVD as an extra) that he had deliberately chosen this particular school, for its logistics in supporting a film crew on site, but more importantly, for the size of the class of students, nothing too large that each becomes a passing face, but something manageable so that they can come across vividly. And having chosen this particular class of 12, and their teacher with his more than positive approach and attitude, are what made this documentary tick.

The children are as adorable as they are in need of some serious education. Early in the documentary we see them struggling with mathematics (OK, so they are the 3-4 year olds), but in one truly memorable scene was when one of them brought back his homework, and had to unwittingly enlist the help of parents and relatives to help him solve the problem. But alas, to my dismay, I later found it to be fabricated, which sort of spoilt my overall feeling toward this documentary - thou shalt not meddle with thy subjects.

However, what I thought was unique in Philibert's approach to documentary making, was the conscious decision to minimize the number of talking heads. There isn't any, not until the one hour mark, where George Lopez had to give a short history of himself and his underlying motivation to teaching, but other than that, it's almost like a fictional narrative in the way the subject of education is being handled.

Not one with big sets nor wanting to incorporate controversial elements, To Be and To Have is stoically quiet, and touching in the moments where teacher and students connect, especially when one is trusted enough to be a confidante, and dispensing good advice and words of encouragement to children under his charge. For those scenes I credit George Lopez for his relentless work in providing a firm grounding and good work attitude to the students under him. But alas, any notions I had on the film's honesty were somehow tainted by Philibert's revelation. Still not a bad movie, despite it being slow (to mirror the long, arduous journey one goes through to receive a decent education), but one which could have been a lot more sincere in putting forth the material.

A Nice Film, but overrated

[huckfinn135 · 3/10 · 21 September 2003]

I fully expected to love the film. I'm an elementary school teacher and always enjoy films about teachers working with children. To be honest, I thought the film was dull. We don't really get to know the children or the teacher very well. There seems to be very little taught in the school. The students are constantly writing out dictations and the teacher, who is a very nice man and very kind to his students, is seen having the same type of interactions with his students over and over. After a while I became frustrated that we weren't really getting to know anyone in any depth...yes, the teacher says kind and gentle things, but it's like watching the same scene over and over. Even the antics of the kids are cute, but dull...in a year of filming these are the most interesting moments the director came up with? Still, a relaxing and sweet film.

Au revoir, les enfants

[Chris Knipp · 23 January 2004]

Être et avoir, To Be and To Have, is, like Something's Gotta Give, a title I don't get. But unlike the latter, a poorly written romantic comedy and star vehicle deserving to be soon forgotten, the French documentary leaves a deep impression. It's an incredibly touching and absorbing portrait of a teacher named Georges Lopez in rural Issoire, in the center of France, who works alone in what is called a `one-room' school. His students, the blurb says, are 4 to 11. You don't really know their ages, and since they're all together you see them as individuals rather than representatives of particular age or class levels.

The focus of To Be and To Have is, with minutest detail, upon what happens in the classroom. It stops just short of a complete portrait of the man, assuming he has some `être,' some being, outside the classroom. At a moment where he speaks of himself to the camera, he reveals that he wanted to teach and loved the classroom even as a young child. Does he really have a life outside class? Has he married? It seems not. Is he gay? Asexual? Wonderful as he is as a teacher – and surely his patient firmness makes him superb with children in a peculiarly French way -- the insistence on manners and civility, on his being called `monsieur' (a bit old fashioned, one might think, even pre-1968, pre-Seventies) – and that apparent absence of a life outside the classroom, all suggest a certain human limitation in Georges Lopez. Or you can see him as a monk, teaching as his sacred calling, and the classroom as his chapel. This limitation comes through in his insistence on guidance, rather than listening, a gap that shows in two extended private sessions with students in need of counseling -- one with two boys who got in a fight, the other with a girl who is withdrawn amid her peers – where in each case the kids barely speak up at all. The teacher's manner seems to overwhelm them, even though it's gentle and caring.

But the documentary isn't just about the teacher or his firm, dominant, infinitely patient style, fascinating though those in themselves are. It's about the children too, of course, and they emerge with radiant clarity and life. Probably the one we'll best remember is JoJo (Johan, not to be confused with Johann of the beautiful eyes, sphinxlike calm, and occasional moments of cruelty). JoJo is so fascinating because he eludes classification; and yet in a way he's a childhood everyman. He's eager and gawky. Lopez is always focusing on him, but without great effect: he eludes molding too. He seems unfocused, unable to finish coloring, or photocopying a book illustration properly; or to wash his hands to remove the mess of ink he's gotten on them, or to finish the teacher's interrogation about how high numbers go.

But while JoJo seems frail and a bit confused at times, quick to become distracted, dissolving into tears when knocked down by Johann (the teacher handles these conflicts with magnificent calm evenhandedness), during the second, later numbers drill (which comes up spontaneously on a class outing) JoJo is making a quantum leap. Where earlier in the year he could barely write the number `seven,' suddenly he is talking about thousands and billions. You realize he's just a boy – full of possibilities. And there's no telling where he'll go. Those are right who've called this film a meditation on the mysteries of childhood. It's a meditation all right. Its slow microscopic observation makes it that. It makes you ponder a lot of things: childhood, teaching, retirement; the nature of the documentary process. You realize there are no rules about how minute or how comprehensive a documentary must be; that the best ones – and this is one of the best – are certainly both.

Throughout Être et avoir there are moments that are tremendously moving, which pop up instantly without warning. Since the editing doesn't follow any logic other than the passage of time as the school year progresses from the onset of winter to the approach of summer, you may wonder how it's all going to pull together. There are even some segments showing parents helping their children with homework that are rather dull – till the poor rural parents' academic cluelessness becomes hilarious, -- and then you realize it's a bit sad. There are beautiful brief sequences of the snow, of cows, of one of the boys cooking and driving a tractor. But what is the film talking about? we may wonder. Where is it going?

Then we learn that the teacher is going to retire shortly. And since we know now that teaching is his life in a far greater sense than usual, the day this school year ends, when the students all come up and kiss the teacher goodbye on both cheeks (three kisses in a few special cases) becomes a hugely significant day. After the children leave you half expect the maître to burst into tears like JoJo when Johann knocked him down. He doesn't, but we weep a bit for him, for the children, and for our own lost childhoods. Philibert, the filmmaker, has done a magnificent job, just by being there but not getting in the way. He has shown us a world. Merci M. Philibert! Merci M. Lopez! Merci JoJo!

Touching and truthful

[eparade · 10/10 · 7 September 2003]

Despite knowing its reputation, I was reluctant to start watching this when it was screened on BBC4 this evening but felt I really should. I am so glad I made the effort. Take any ten minutes of this film and there is more truth and humanity than any piece of filmed fiction I have seen.

What I found most remarkable was how the filming didn't appear to affect either the children or M.Lopez.

This film totally disproves that a good person doing good things is boring to watch.

Superb

[safenoe · 10/10 · 19 July 2022]

This documentary was incredibly moving. I saw it in the cinema all those years ago, and looks at life in a schoolhouse in the French rural area where the children ranged from ages four to 10.

I'd love to see where teacher George Lopez and the children are now.

strangely captivating

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 27 August 2005]

I did not expect to like this film or care about the people in it as much as I did. After all, this is just a documentary about a one-room school in rural France--it doesn't exactly sound like an exciting topic, does it? Plus, to top it off, the film has absolutely no narration--the camera simply focuses on the day to day routines of the students and teacher. What a shock, then, when I found myself captivated after only the first few minutes. The producer, director and editor did a fantastic job of piecing it all together as well as giving us what the viewer wanted--REAL kids and quite a few really cute ones at that. My wife and I actually found ourselves rooting for them--especially little JoJo--the occasionally not terribly bright little kid who liked to stick his pencil up his nose! One day, I am sure, he will become rich and successful and have the last laugh!

By the way, if you liked this, try watching A TOUCH OF GREATNESS about an amazingly innovative and inspiring teacher.

magnificent and for all ages, actually, anyone who has gone to school

[rocketthericky · 10/10 · 31 July 2006]

This movie was a surprise find in the rarely used foreign film section of my usual DVD rental shop.The picture of innocence on the pupils face upon the DVD cover and the prospect of progressing my French vocab allured me to it.Since viewing it, really i should use the word; reliving,i have formed unexpected genial and sentimental memories of my own school days. This movie is essential viewing for any / all of us who have attended national or primary education. The realization that i alone could relate to each and every pupil, (and to the teacher), a similar person from my life and experience was overwhelming. i hold dear the joy of innocence and the reality of individuality portrayed in real life by all those who participated in this... exposition of the joy of obtaining and giving knowledge. the struggles were once my own, the humor warms me still, the knowledge is empirically embedded after the same such endeavor. i applaud this film and its' writer, director and producer. i know all its subject but by different names. i will re-watch it time and time again so that i may remain attached to the honesty of progress in life for us all via the altruism of dedicated teachers of knowledge and empathy.i hope my spelling errors do not influence your choice to experience this film.

Charmingly French, but a bit short on context

[justbob1982 · 6/10 · 7 June 2017]

Version I saw: LoveFilm Bluray, subtitled

Actors: N/A

Plot/script: 5/10

Photography/visual style: 6/10

Music/score: 7/10

Overall: 6/10

Whatever caught my attention and caused me to add Etre et Avoir to my watch list, I had pretty much forgotten it by the time I came to watch this film, so I had very little expectation beyond an impression of quaint Frenchness. And indeed I got that; the documentary is filmed almost entirely within the classroom of a tiny rural French school. We get to know the kids and teacher by watching them learn, often frustratingly slowly, although that only makes it more satisfying when the light of comprehension dawns in their little eyes.

If there is one thing missing from the film, it is context. I had to read the DVD sleeve notes to find out that the mode of education we see here is considered old-fashioned and under threat. It was only once I knew this that I was able to understand that the message of the film is pro-tradition in the face of cold modernity. I had access to that information, it is true, but truly outstanding documentaries are able to insert the necessary context unobtrusively.

There is a universality here, in that similar situations can be found in any country large enough to have variations in population density. Incidentally, the title is pretty clever, evoking French grammar lessons as well as the huge concepts of being and having. I don't think I really *learned* anything from the film though, as I would normally expect to from a documentary.

I think viewers will get out of Etre et Avoir what they bring in. If the idea of a feature length documentary set entirely in a French classroom sounds charming and heart-warming, you will be charmed and your heart warmed. If it sounds boring, you will be bored.

An insight into education...and life

[keoldham · 8/10 · 30 July 2006]

I was a bit puzzled as I began to watch this documentary - so many documentaries are of the "in your face" variety, and state their point of view early on; this film allows its them to unfold throughout, one bit at a time. For some reason I want to say that it was lovingly done - the director's approach was soft and familial, and the viewer comes to know and understand the life of this teacher, and his quiet passion for preparing children to enter the world.

When I was at my university studying to be a teacher, the entire college of education was brought together to view "To Sir, With Love"; it was inspiring and filled us with enthusiasm for our future profession. As wonderful as "To Sir, With Love" is, I think that viewing this film is just as important for future educators. Sure, our circumstances are very different here, but our approach to children, and to life, can be the same in an American metropolis as it is in rural France. Definitely worth watching!

The beauty of contentment

[jonathanbaden · 9/10 · 18 June 2005]

If you are a person who barges your way through life without paying much attention to anyone else or the world around you then give this film a miss. If on the other hand you are someone who revels in the intricacies, secrecy's and delicacies of life then pay close attention. This is a film that unravels, and quietly reveals some of the wonders of human existence. Stick with it, pay attention, concentrate and don't be distracted and I promise you will be rewarded with not just a film you've seen but a viewing experience.It evokes emotions, half-remembered, maybe deliberately forgotten, of a time in our lives when our rubbers really mattered, when the photocopier was truly a mystery, when we ended up arse in the mud. The quality of innocence permeates through and sadness hangs over it as you realise the safety of this idyllic classroom will not last for ever, these children will have to step out and face the realities of the world around them. Each has their hopes and ambitions, and their own problems, yet what does the world really have in store for them? Mnsr Lopez is shown in no context other than that of a teacher. We get the impression there is nothing else in his life and yet we are shown no regrets or longing for anything different. He has achieved this position and seems proud and fulfilled. Whether this is true or not (especially when viewed in context of his subsequent attempt to get a share of the movies profits) his character works as an ideal. We all want to achieve this state in our lives yet is difficult (if not impossible) to achieve within the urban environment. Those who chase material wealth, possessions and status may find this state of being difficult to understand as it quite simply cannot exist in a world run along the rules of competition and advancement. The film also reminds us of our own mortality- Msr Lopez is reaching retirement and we wonder exactly where will he find his fulfilment once the children are gone. We remember everything is fleeting, just like our lives, and truly it is the moments of beauty, the people that make us laugh and cry, the relationships and achievements that bring us joy and fulfilment. The film reminds us of all this beauty in the world, and what is important- our communities,our children, our learning and our spirit.

Time is on our side

[diand_ · 5/10 · 22 July 2005]

Parents leave their children at home with the babysitter and go out to see this movie. They probably could have stayed home because watching cute kids can also be done there. A teacher with a day off watches this only to see his work reflected here. But this documentary about a grammar school in the idyllic Auvergne has more on offer.

It starts with two shots of things to come. The first is of a herd of cows suggesting the herding of the children by their teacher. Then two turtles are shown referring to the slow-moving countryside (and likewise the pace of the documentary itself). The element of time is most important here, as the beauty of everything happening before our eyes is only temporarily: Older children go off to middle school. Newcomers are brought in. And even the teacher telling in an interview he can't live there forever. And time is taken to form the students in a way almost unthinkable nowadays. It's that element of time that adds to the nostalgic feeling portrayed, because it is a world almost non-existent outside these (ever depopulating) rural areas.

The teacher is not someone just doing his job, he is less interested in the actual performance of individual children than in the shaping of the children as well-rounded human beings able to manage conflicts, express themselves and fulfill their dreams. It is in effect a wonderful promotion campaign for those who consider becoming teachers.

Documentaries are often more manipulative than movies because they base themselves on a kind of objectivity that is unattainable. Être et avoir satisfies our demand for something pure in a sometimes cynical world. But it can only reach that goal by stripping away everything of the real world around it. Take the whole soap around Lopez's lost court case claiming money for his presence for example. So what I would like to see Nicolas Philibert do is make a follow-up of a school that's almost the reverse, for example a middle school in Argenteuil. Just to create some balance.

A French documentary to treasure

[jandesimpson · 28 September 2003]

It's all been done before and looks so easy. Just get a group of cute little kids and a sympathetic adult prompter. Turn a hidden camera on them. Result - a sure-fire winner. And yet one is left with a nagging question - can it have been that easy when the result is something as impressive and beautifully formed as Nicolas Philibert's moving study of a village school in the Auvergne from winter through to summer? It opens with a stunning shot of cattle stoically moving about in a snow storm and continues with the progress of a school minibus as it collects young children from farms and hamlets to take them along snowy tracks to the warm security of a stone schoolhouse and their kindly and sympathetic village schoolmaster. He works alone, dividing his attention between children from four to eleven years of age and somehow succeeds miraculously in catering for their wide variety of needs. Shortly after their arrival I found a few doubts beginning to creep in on a first showing. Some of the interaction between master and pupils seemed to go on for an inordinate amount of time. When cinema adopts the role of recording the minutiae of the everyday without the discipline of the cutting scissors, as happens here when the very young children in turn write the word "Maman" and there is an inquest on each, does it not become a little like watching paint dry? And yet - if ever a film deserves patience in overcoming its initial longeurs, this is it. What these opening sequences achieve is to help us know these children as individuals and to become better acquainted with the schoolmaster as he gradually emerges as an almost saintly figure in the way he handles the problems of his charges, the two boys who fight, the girl about to go to secondary school who cannot relate to others, the boy who suddenly breaks down when he speaks of his father's illness and the tiny newcomer who cries for his mother. Such very special moments transcend what could have been an otherwise rather mundane experience; these and the sheer beauty with which the director and his cameraman record the passing of the seasons. The film concludes with the children saying goodbye to their teacher as they leave for their summer holiday. At this point I felt enriched by this brief insight into their lives. My tears were of gratitude for an experience that had touched me in so special a way.

A truly important film. Both charming and touching.

[oso_travis · 9/10 · 17 May 2004]

Etre et avoir. ***1/2

Recent French cinema clearly has had dominant trends in recent years. In one side, light and silly comedies like "RRRrrrr!"," Taxi", "Podium". In other front, we got the shock cinema with titles like "Irréversible", "29 palms", "Tiresia", "Chóses Secretes", "L'adversaire", "Haute Tension". And we also have the urban, smart and sophisticated comedies like "Confidences Trop Intimes" and "Le Gout D'Autres".

So it's really a surprise to find a wonderful film that doesn't belong to any of the trends described above. And it is also a big surprise that such a small and wise documentary, can be so deep, charming and touching.

There is no really a plot on it. We are just witness of the French rural education system. We see the love and devotion that the teacher has for all of his students, whose age range goes from 4 years old to young teens. We see their daily problems and how they solve them.

Truly an important film. Now I understand France's urgency to keep their people literate, no matter how remote their home is. We, the countries in development, should learn very carefully this important lesson.

(the first half an hour goes kind of slow, but please be patient. It is worth it.)