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{{redirect|Entre les murs|the novel|Entre les murs (novel)}}
{{short description|2008 film directed by Laurent Cantet}}
{{short description|2008 film directed by Laurent Cantet}}
⚫
{{redirect|Entre les murs|the novel|Entre les murs (novel)}}
{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
| name = The Class
| name = The Class
Line 6: Line 6:
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = [[Laurent Cantet]]
| director = [[Laurent Cantet]]
| producer = [[Caroline Benjo]]<br>[[Carole Scotta]]
| producer = Simon Arnal<br>Caroline Benjo<br>Barbra Letellier<br>Carole Scotta
| screenplay = Laurent Cantet<br>[[François Bégaudeau]]<br>[[Robin Campillo]]
| screenplay = Laurent Cantet<br>[[François Bégaudeau]]<br>[[Robin Campillo]]
| based_on = ''Entre les murs''<br>by [[François Bégaudeau]]
| based_on = ''Entre les murs''<br>by [[François Bégaudeau]]
| starring = [[François Bégaudeau]]
| starring = [[François Bégaudeau]]
| music =
| music =
| cinematography = [[Pierre Milon]]
| cinematography = Pierre Milon<br>Catherine Pujol
| editing = [[Robin Campillo]]
| editing = [[Robin Campillo]]<br>Stephanie Leger
| distributor = Haut et Court
| distributor = Haut et Court
| released = {{film date|2008|5|24|[[2008 Cannes Film Festival|Cannes]]|2008|9|24|France|df=y}}
| released = {{film date|2008|5|24|[[2008 Cannes Film Festival|Cannes]]|2008|9|24|France|df=y}}
Line 19: Line 19:
| language = French
| language = French
| budget = €2.5 million<ref name="JP">{{cite web|url=http://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=10293|title=Entre les murs |work=JP's Box-Office}}</ref>
| budget = €2.5 million<ref name="JP">{{cite web|url=http://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=10293|title=Entre les murs |work=JP's Box-Office}}</ref>
| gross = $28.7 million<ref name="JP"/>
| gross = $29.3 million<ref>{{Cite Box Office Mojo |id=1068646 |title=The Class (2008)|access-date=20 May 2024}}</ref>
}}
}}
'''''The Class''''' ({{lang-fr|'''Entre les murs'''|lit=Between the walls}}) is a 2008 French drama film directed by [[Laurent Cantet]], based on the [[Entre les murs (novel)|2006 novel of the same name]] by [[François Bégaudeau]]. The novel is a [[autobiography|semi-autobiographical]] account of Bégaudeau's experiences as a [[French language]] and [[French literature|literature]] teacher in a middle school in the [[20th arrondissement of Paris]], particularly illuminating his struggles with "problem children": Esmerelda (Esmeralda Ouertani), Khoumba (Rachel Regulier), and Souleymane (Franck Keïta). The film stars Bégaudeau himself in the role of the teacher.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/26/arts/26iht-26clas.16510301.html |title=Laurent Cantet's 'The Class': Learning to be the future of France |author=Manohla Dargis |date=26 September 2008 |access-date=19 June 2017 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>
'''''The Class''''' ({{langx|fr|'''Entre les murs'''|lit=Between the walls}}) is a 2008 French drama film directed by [[Laurent Cantet]], based on the [[Entre les murs (novel)|2006 novel of the same name]] by [[François Bégaudeau]]. The novel is a [[autobiography|semi-autobiographical]] account of Bégaudeau's experiences as a [[French language]] and [[French literature|literature]] teacher in a middle school in the [[20th arrondissement of Paris]], particularly illuminating his struggles with "problem children": Esmerelda (Esmeralda Ouertani), Khoumba (Rachel Regulier), and Souleymane (Franck Keïta). The film stars Bégaudeau himself in the role of the teacher.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/26/arts/26iht-26clas.16510301.html |title=Laurent Cantet's 'The Class': Learning to be the future of France |author=Manohla Dargis |date=26 September 2008 |access-date=19 June 2017 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>


The film received the [[Palme d'Or]] at the [[2008 Cannes Film Festival]], making it the first French film to do so since 1987, when [[Maurice Pialat]] won the award for '' [[Under the Sun of Satan (film)|Under the Sun of Satan]]''. ''The Class'' was also nominated for an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] for [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]], but lost to ''[[Departures (2008 film)|Departures]]''.
The film received a [[Unanimity|unanimous]] [[Palme d'Or]] at the [[2008 Cannes Film Festival]], making it the first French film to do so since 1987, when [[Maurice Pialat]] won the award for '' [[Under the Sun of Satan (film)|Under the Sun of Satan]]''. ''The Class'' was also nominated for an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] for [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]], but lost to ''[[Departures (2008 film)|Departures]]''.


==Plot==
==Plot==
Set wholly in a secondary school in a working-class district of Paris, where many inhabitants are foreign-born, the film follows the year of a young teacher, François Marin, and the 25 pupils aged 14 or 15 who he takes for an hour each day in French language. A loner, he walks the narrow line between maintaining discipline and gaining co-operation.
Set entirely in a secondary school in a working-class district of Paris, where most residents are first-generation immigrants to France born overseas, the film follows the year of a young teacher, François Marin, and the 25 pupils aged 14-15 years whom he takes for an hour each day for French lessons. A loner, he walks the narrow line between maintaining discipline and gaining co-operation.


From the start, wide differences are apparent in the class over standards of dress, deportment, knowledge, and application. A dispute arises over using the imperfect and pluperfect subjunctive, which he admits may be a bit of an affectation and a student questions whether François is gay. When pupils have to read aloud from ''[[The Diary of Anne Frank]]'', a girl called Khoumba refuses because she does not consider it relevant to her life. In private, François forces her to apologize.
From the start, wide differences are apparent in the class over standards of dress, deportment, knowledge, and application. A dispute arises over using the imperfect and pluperfect subjunctive, which he admits may be a bit of an affectation and a student questions whether François is gay. When pupils have to read aloud from ''[[The Diary of Anne Frank]]'', a girl called Khoumba refuses because she does not consider it relevant to her life. In private, François forces her to apologise.


Success comes when he asks the pupils to write a self-portrait. An assertive girl called Esmeralda reveals that she would like to be a policewoman or failing that, a rapper. A difficult boy called Souleymane, weak in written French, submits his story in an interesting series of photographs (at a parents' evening, his mother cannot understand or speak French). However, after an argument over football teams with Carl, another boy who is problematic, Souleymane insults François and is sent to the head teacher's office.
Success comes when he asks the pupils to write a self-portrait. An assertive girl called Esmeralda reveals that she would like to be a policewoman or failing that, a rapper. A difficult boy called Souleymane, weak in written French, submits his story in an interesting series of photographs (at a parents' evening, his mother cannot speak French at all). However, after an argument over football teams with Will, another boy who is problematic, Souleymane insults François and is sent to the head teacher's office.


At a teachers' conference to decide final placings, François defends Souleymane but his efforts are undermined by the two student representatives at the meeting, Esmeralda and Louise, who behave in a very childish manner. During the next class, despite the confidential nature of the teachers' conference, the two girls tell the others that François had it in for Souleymane. A furious François rebukes the pair, saying they behaved like "skanks" ({{Lang-fr|[[Wiktionary:pétasse|pétasses]]}}). Uproar follows, in which Souleymane, after accidentally hitting Khoumba with his backpack, storms out and is suspended. Later, Khoumba pulls aside François, telling him that if Souleymane is expelled, his father may send him back to his native country, [[Mali]], as punishment. After a disciplinary hearing at which Souleymane is supported by his mother, for whom he has to translate, he is ultimately expelled.
At a teachers' conference to decide final placings, François defends Souleymane but his efforts are undermined by the two student representatives at the meeting, Esmeralda and Louise, who behave in a very childish manner. During the next class, despite the confidential nature of the teachers' conference, the two girls tell the others that François had it in for Souleymane. A furious François rebukes the pair, saying they behaved like "skanks" ({{Langx|fr|[[Wiktionary:pétasse|pétasses]]}}). Uproar follows, in which Souleymane, after accidentally hitting Khoumba with his backpack, storms out and is suspended. Later, Khoumba pulls aside François, telling him that if Souleymane is expelled, his father may send him back to his native country, [[Mali]], as punishment. After a disciplinary hearing at which Souleymane is supported by his mother, for whom he has to translate, he is ultimately expelled.


In the last lesson of the year, François asks each pupil what they have learned over the year. Carl has been inspired by science experiments in his chemistry class, Khoumba has warmed to music and enjoyed learning Spanish, Esmerelda professes to have learned nothing in school but then admits that she has read Plato's [[Republic (Plato)|''Republic'']] in her free time. After they have all left the room, a quiet girl called Henriette comes back and despondently claims that she really has not learned anything at all. Outside, an impromptu football match has begun between the pupils and teachers.
In the last lesson of the year, François asks each pupil what they have learned over the year. Carl has been inspired by science experiments in his chemistry class, Khoumba has warmed to music and enjoyed learning Spanish, Esmerelda professes to have learned nothing in school but then admits that she has read Plato's [[Republic (Plato)|''Republic'']] in her free time. After they have all left the room, a quiet girl called Henriette comes back and despondently claims that she really has not learned anything at all. Outside, an impromptu football match has begun between the pupils and teachers.
Line 51: Line 51:


==Reception==
==Reception==
===Critical response===
[[File:Festival de Cannes 2008 Entre les murs 1.jpg|thumb|right|The cast at Cannes Film Festival 2008]]
[[File:Festival de Cannes 2008 Entre les murs 1.jpg|thumb|right|The cast at Cannes Film Festival 2008]]
The film was the featured opening night selection at the 46th [[New York Film Festival]] in 2008.
The film was the featured opening night selection at the 46th [[New York Film Festival]] in 2008.


The film has received critical acclaim, achieving a 95% rating at [[Rotten Tomatoes]] out of 161 reviews counted, and an average rating of 8.06/10. The site's consensus reads, "Energetic and bright, this hybrid of documentary style and dramatic plotting looks at the present and future of France through the interactions of a teacher and his students in an inner-city high school."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_class/ |title=The Class (2008) |access-date=19 June 2017 |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref> [[Metacritic]] lists ''Entre les murs'' with a rating of 92, based on 31 critics, <ref>{{cite web|title=The Class|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-class|publisher=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=13 August 2013}}</ref> making it one of the best reviewed films of the year according to the website.
The film has received critical acclaim, achieving a 95% rating at [[Rotten Tomatoes]] out of 161 reviews counted, and an average rating of 8.1/10. The site's consensus reads, "Energetic and bright, this hybrid of documentary style and dramatic plotting looks at the present and future of France through the interactions of a teacher and his students in an inner-city high school."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_class/ |title=The Class (2008) |access-date=19 June 2017 |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref> [[Metacritic]] lists ''Entre les murs'' with a rating of 92, based on 31 critics,<ref>{{cite web|title=The Class|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-class|publisher=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=13 August 2013}}</ref> making it one of the best reviewed films of the year according to the website.


The film was warmly reviewed by the critic [[Philip French]] who noted: "There is a remarkable French tradition of school films, extending from [[Jean Vigo]]'s ''[[Zéro de Conduite]]'', to [[Nicolas Philibert]]'s ''[[Être et avoir]]''. [[Laurent Cantet]], whose parents were both teachers, carries it on and he elicits marvellous performances... As the teacher at a tough, racially mixed, inner-city school in Paris, Marin ([[François Bégaudeau]]), neither weary cynic nor wide-eyed idealist, is a decent, determined realist... not a saint, though by the end of the school year he has exhibited some of the necessary qualities."<ref>Philip French review, The Observer, 1 March 2009</ref>
The film was warmly reviewed by the critic [[Philip French]] who noted: "There is a remarkable French tradition of school films, extending from [[Jean Vigo]]'s ''[[Zéro de Conduite]]'', to [[Nicolas Philibert]]'s ''[[Être et avoir]]''. [[Laurent Cantet]], whose parents were both teachers, carries it on and he elicits marvellous performances... As the teacher at a tough, racially mixed, inner-city school in Paris, Marin ([[François Bégaudeau]]), neither weary cynic nor wide-eyed idealist, is a decent, determined realist... not a saint, though by the end of the school year he has exhibited some of the necessary qualities."<ref>Philip French review, The Observer, 1 March 2009</ref>
Line 60: Line 61:
The film appeared on many critics'{{who|date=June 2021}} top ten lists of the best films of 2008.<ref name=mctop08>{{cite web|url=http://www.listsofbests.com/list/57692-metacritic-the-best-reviewed-movies-of-2008 |title=Metacritic: 2008 Film Critic Top Ten Lists |publisher=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=January 11, 2009}}</ref>
The film appeared on many critics'{{who|date=June 2021}} top ten lists of the best films of 2008.<ref name=mctop08>{{cite web|url=http://www.listsofbests.com/list/57692-metacritic-the-best-reviewed-movies-of-2008 |title=Metacritic: 2008 Film Critic Top Ten Lists |publisher=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=January 11, 2009}}</ref>


French researcher and education writer [[Philippe Meirieu]] observed that the film shows a teacher full of leftist good intentions, who nevertheless neglects any mediation and does not use any pedagogy other than a kind of dialogical lecture without any constructed learning situation. The teacher comes to rely on seduction, pressure and sanction without avoiding personal confrontation with some of his pupils. Meirieu is concerned about the reading that can be made of the film, which, by showing the difficulties and the explosive situation that emerges, suggests that there is no alternative or which would reinforces authoritarianism and anti-pedagogism.<ref>[https://www.meirieu.com/ACTUALITE/entrelesmurs_politis.pdf « Cette école ne ressemble en rien à celle que je défends »] Entretien paru dans POLITIS du 18 septembre 2008</ref>{{,}}<ref>[https://www.meirieu.com/ACTUALITE/entrelesmurs.htm Entre les murs : un film en dehors de l’École], Philippe Meirieu</ref>
French researcher and education writer [[Philippe Meirieu]] observed that the film shows a teacher full of leftist good intentions, who nonetheless neglects any form of mediation and who does not use any pedagogy beyond a kind of dialogical lecture, without any structured learning situation. The teacher comes to rely on charm, pressure and sanction, while failing to avoid personal confrontation with some of his students. Meirieu is concerned about the reading that can be made of the film, which, by showing classroom difficulties and the explosive situation that emerges, risks suggesting that there is no alternative to an authoritarian approach.<ref>[https://www.meirieu.com/ACTUALITE/entrelesmurs_politis.pdf « Cette école ne ressemble en rien à celle que je défends »] Entretien paru dans POLITIS du 18 septembre 2008</ref><ref>[https://www.meirieu.com/ACTUALITE/entrelesmurs.htm Entre les murs : un film en dehors de l’École], Philippe Meirieu</ref>

In 2024, ''[[Looper (website)|Looper]]'' ranked it number 14 on its list of the "50 Best PG-13 Movies of All Time," writing "What could have been one-note schmaltz ended up being one of the best-reviewed foreign-language titles of 2008, thanks to the film's dedication to rendering its lead character as a complicated and flawed human while also delivering optimally-conceived feel-good moments."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.looper.com/806086/best-pg-13-movies-of-all-time-ranked/ | title=50 Best PG-13 Movies Of All Time Ranked | website=Looper | date=October 14, 2024 }}</ref>


===Accolades===
===Accolades===
Line 83: Line 86:
| [[Palme d'Or]]
| [[Palme d'Or]]
| {{won}}
| {{won}}
| rowspan="1" | <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-cannes-idUKN2252964520080525?feedType=RSS&feedName=entertainmentNews |title=French film wins top Cannes prize |author1=Mike Collett-White |author2=James Mackenzie |date=26 May 2008 |access-date=19 June 2017 |work=[[Reuters]]}}</ref>
| rowspan="1" | <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-cannes-idUKN2252964520080525?feedType=RSS&feedName=entertainmentNews |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170619192207/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-cannes-idUKN2252964520080525?feedType=RSS&feedName=entertainmentNews |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 19, 2017 |title=French film wins top Cannes prize |author1=Mike Collett-White |author2=James Mackenzie |date=26 May 2008 |access-date=19 June 2017 |work=[[Reuters]]}}</ref>
|-
|-
!scope="row" rowspan=5| [[César Awards]]
!scope="row" rowspan=5| [[César Awards]]
Line 129: Line 132:
| [[Independent Spirit Award for Best International Film|Best International Film]]
| [[Independent Spirit Award for Best International Film|Best International Film]]
| {{won}}
| {{won}}
| rowspan="1" | <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2009/feb/22/local/me-spirit22 |title='The Wrestler' wins at Film Independent's Spirit Awards |author=Susan King |date=22 February 2009 |access-date=19 June 2017 |work=[[The Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref>
| rowspan="1" | <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-feb-22-me-spirit22-story.html |title='The Wrestler' wins at Film Independent's Spirit Awards |author=Susan King |date=22 February 2009 |access-date=19 June 2017 |work=[[The Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref>
|-
|-
! scope="row"| [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association]]
! scope="row"| [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association]]
Line 159: Line 162:
|-
|-
|}
|}

==See also==
* [[List of submissions to the 81st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film]]
* [[List of French submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film]]


==References==
==References==
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* {{Rotten Tomatoes|the_class|The Class}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|the_class|The Class}}
* {{Mojo title|class08}}
* {{Mojo title|class08}}
* {{Metacritic film|the-class|The Class}}
* {{Metacritic film|title=The Class}}
*{{Amg movie|451976|The Class}}


{{Laurent Cantet}}
{{Laurent Cantet}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Class}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Class}}
[[Category:2008 films]]
[[Category:2008 films]]
⚫
[[Category:French films]]
[[Category:Films about educators]]
[[Category:Films about educators]]
[[Category:Films directed by Laurent Cantet]]
[[Category:Films directed by Laurent Cantet]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Robin Campillo]]
[[Category:Sony Pictures Classics films]]
[[Category:Sony Pictures Classics films]]
[[Category:2000s French-language films]]
[[Category:2000s French-language films]]
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[[Category:Films set in schools]]
[[Category:Films set in schools]]
[[Category:French teen drama films]]
[[Category:French teen drama films]]
[[Category:French independent films]]
[[Category:2008 drama films]]
[[Category:2008 drama films]]
[[Category:Films based on French novels]]
⚫
[[Category:2000s French films]]
[[Category:French-language drama films]]

Latest revision as of 08:19, 22 December 2024

"Entre les murs" redirects here. For the novel, see Entre les murs (novel).
The Class
Theatrical release poster
Directed byLaurent Cantet
Screenplay byLaurent Cantet
François Bégaudeau
Robin Campillo
Based onEntre les murs
by François Bégaudeau
Produced bySimon Arnal
Caroline Benjo
Barbra Letellier
Carole Scotta
StarringFrançois Bégaudeau
CinematographyPierre Milon
Catherine Pujol
Edited byRobin Campillo
Stephanie Leger
Distributed byHaut et Court
Release dates
  • 24 May 2008 (2008-05-24) (Cannes)
  • 24 September 2008 (2008-09-24) (France)
Running time
128 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguageFrench
Budget€2.5 million[1]
Box office$29.3 million[2]

The Class (French: Entre les murs, lit. 'Between the walls') is a 2008 French drama film directed by Laurent Cantet, based on the 2006 novel of the same name by François Bégaudeau. The novel is a semi-autobiographical account of Bégaudeau's experiences as a French language and literature teacher in a middle school in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, particularly illuminating his struggles with "problem children": Esmerelda (Esmeralda Ouertani), Khoumba (Rachel Regulier), and Souleymane (Franck Keïta). The film stars Bégaudeau himself in the role of the teacher.[3]

The film received a unanimous Palme d'Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, making it the first French film to do so since 1987, when Maurice Pialat won the award for Under the Sun of Satan. The Class was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but lost to Departures.

Plot

[edit]

Set entirely in a secondary school in a working-class district of Paris, where most residents are first-generation immigrants to France born overseas, the film follows the year of a young teacher, François Marin, and the 25 pupils aged 14-15 years whom he takes for an hour each day for French lessons. A loner, he walks the narrow line between maintaining discipline and gaining co-operation.

From the start, wide differences are apparent in the class over standards of dress, deportment, knowledge, and application. A dispute arises over using the imperfect and pluperfect subjunctive, which he admits may be a bit of an affectation and a student questions whether François is gay. When pupils have to read aloud from The Diary of Anne Frank, a girl called Khoumba refuses because she does not consider it relevant to her life. In private, François forces her to apologise.

Success comes when he asks the pupils to write a self-portrait. An assertive girl called Esmeralda reveals that she would like to be a policewoman or failing that, a rapper. A difficult boy called Souleymane, weak in written French, submits his story in an interesting series of photographs (at a parents' evening, his mother cannot speak French at all). However, after an argument over football teams with Will, another boy who is problematic, Souleymane insults François and is sent to the head teacher's office.

At a teachers' conference to decide final placings, François defends Souleymane but his efforts are undermined by the two student representatives at the meeting, Esmeralda and Louise, who behave in a very childish manner. During the next class, despite the confidential nature of the teachers' conference, the two girls tell the others that François had it in for Souleymane. A furious François rebukes the pair, saying they behaved like "skanks" (French: pétasses). Uproar follows, in which Souleymane, after accidentally hitting Khoumba with his backpack, storms out and is suspended. Later, Khoumba pulls aside François, telling him that if Souleymane is expelled, his father may send him back to his native country, Mali, as punishment. After a disciplinary hearing at which Souleymane is supported by his mother, for whom he has to translate, he is ultimately expelled.

In the last lesson of the year, François asks each pupil what they have learned over the year. Carl has been inspired by science experiments in his chemistry class, Khoumba has warmed to music and enjoyed learning Spanish, Esmerelda professes to have learned nothing in school but then admits that she has read Plato's Republic in her free time. After they have all left the room, a quiet girl called Henriette comes back and despondently claims that she really has not learned anything at all. Outside, an impromptu football match has begun between the pupils and teachers.

Cast

[edit]
  • François Bégaudeau : François Marin, the French language teacher.
  • Jean-Michel Simonet : the school principal.
  • Burak Ozyilmaz : Burak, top boy of the class.
  • Boubacar Touré : Boubacar, who accuses Marin of being gay.
  • Carl Nanor : Carl, who has been expelled from his previous school.
  • Louise Grinberg : Louise, top girl of the class and a student delegate.
  • Esmeralda Ouertani : Esmeralda, the other student delegate.
  • Franck Keïta : Souleymane, whose lack of control leads to him being disciplined.
  • Henriette Kasaruhanda : Henriette, the silent girl who says she has learned nothing.
  • Rachel Régulier : Khoumba, the girl who refuses to read.

Reception

[edit]

Critical response

[edit]
The cast at Cannes Film Festival 2008

The film was the featured opening night selection at the 46th New York Film Festival in 2008.

The film has received critical acclaim, achieving a 95% rating at Rotten Tomatoes out of 161 reviews counted, and an average rating of 8.1/10. The site's consensus reads, "Energetic and bright, this hybrid of documentary style and dramatic plotting looks at the present and future of France through the interactions of a teacher and his students in an inner-city high school."[4] Metacritic lists Entre les murs with a rating of 92, based on 31 critics,[5] making it one of the best reviewed films of the year according to the website.

The film was warmly reviewed by the critic Philip French who noted: "There is a remarkable French tradition of school films, extending from Jean Vigo's Zéro de Conduite, to Nicolas Philibert's Être et avoir. Laurent Cantet, whose parents were both teachers, carries it on and he elicits marvellous performances... As the teacher at a tough, racially mixed, inner-city school in Paris, Marin (François Bégaudeau), neither weary cynic nor wide-eyed idealist, is a decent, determined realist... not a saint, though by the end of the school year he has exhibited some of the necessary qualities."[6]

The film appeared on many critics'[who?] top ten lists of the best films of 2008.[7]

French researcher and education writer Philippe Meirieu observed that the film shows a teacher full of leftist good intentions, who nonetheless neglects any form of mediation and who does not use any pedagogy beyond a kind of dialogical lecture, without any structured learning situation. The teacher comes to rely on charm, pressure and sanction, while failing to avoid personal confrontation with some of his students. Meirieu is concerned about the reading that can be made of the film, which, by showing classroom difficulties and the explosive situation that emerges, risks suggesting that there is no alternative to an authoritarian approach.[8][9]

In 2024, Looper ranked it number 14 on its list of the "50 Best PG-13 Movies of All Time," writing "What could have been one-note schmaltz ended up being one of the best-reviewed foreign-language titles of 2008, thanks to the film's dedication to rendering its lead character as a complicated and flawed human while also delivering optimally-conceived feel-good moments."[10]

Accolades

[edit]
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Academy Awards 22 February 2009 Best Foreign Language Film Laurent Cantet Nominated [11]
Cannes Film Festival 14 – 25 May 2008 Palme d'Or Won [12]
César Awards 27 February 2009 Best Film Carole Scotta, Caroline Benjo, Laurent Cantet Nominated [13][14]
Best Director Laurent Cantet Nominated
Best Adaptation François Bégaudeau, Robin Campillo and Laurent Cantet Won
Best Editing Robin Campillo, Stephanie Leger Nominated
Best Sound Olivier Mauvezin, Agnes Ravez, Jean-Pierre Laforce Nominated
European Film Awards 27 February 2009 Best Film Simon Arnal, Carole Scotta, Barbara Letellier, Caroline Benjo Nominated [15]
Best Director Laurent Cantet Nominated
Image Awards 12 February 2009 Best Foreign Language Film Won [16]
Independent Spirit Awards 21 February 2009 Best International Film Won [17]
Los Angeles Film Critics Association 9 December 2008 Best Foreign Language Film Runner-up [18]
Lumières Awards 19 January 2009 Best Film Won [19]
Public Prize Won
Satellite Awards 14 December 2008 Best Foreign Language Film Nominated [20]
Toronto Film Critics Association 17 December 2008 Best Foreign Language Film Runner-up [21]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Entre les murs". JP's Box-Office.
  2. ^ "The Class (2008)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  3. ^ Manohla Dargis (26 September 2008). "Laurent Cantet's 'The Class': Learning to be the future of France". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  4. ^ "The Class (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  5. ^ "The Class". Metacritic. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  6. ^ Philip French review, The Observer, 1 March 2009
  7. ^ "Metacritic: 2008 Film Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
  8. ^ « Cette école ne ressemble en rien à celle que je défends » Entretien paru dans POLITIS du 18 septembre 2008
  9. ^ Entre les murs : un film en dehors de l’École, Philippe Meirieu
  10. ^ "50 Best PG-13 Movies Of All Time Ranked". Looper. October 14, 2024.
  11. ^ "The 81st Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  12. ^ Mike Collett-White; James Mackenzie (26 May 2008). "French film wins top Cannes prize". Reuters. Archived from the original on June 19, 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  13. ^ Peter Knegt (23 January 2009). "'Public Enemy' Takes Record 10 Cesar Nods". IndieWire. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  14. ^ Elsa Keslassy (27 February 2009). "'Seraphine' tops Cesar Awards". Variety. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  15. ^ Eugene Hernandez (8 November 2008). "Awards Watch With 'Gomorrah' and 'Il Divo,' Italy In Spotlight at 21st European Film Award Nominat". IndieWire. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  16. ^ "NAACP Image Awards". NAACP Image Awards. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011.
  17. ^ Susan King (22 February 2009). "'The Wrestler' wins at Film Independent's Spirit Awards". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  18. ^ "34th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards". Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  19. ^ Rebecca Leffler (19 January 2009). "Biopics in Lumiere spotlight; 'Class' best pic". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  20. ^ "2008 13th Annual Satellite™ Awards". Satellite Awards. Archived from the original on 17 November 2011.
  21. ^ "Past Award Winners". Toronto Film Critics Association. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
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