Review of The Class (2008) by Brett C — 04 May 2014

Review In A Nutshell:

The Class is an excellent film that explores the difficulties of being a teacher. The whole film takes the point of view from the side of the teacher, and I found this to be interesting as most films would take on the student's point of view in order for the audience to easily relate. The Class successfully made me sympathise and empathise for the struggles that teachers have to go through. The film also accurately depicts students quite accurately and not be boxed in by the stereotypes that are commonly found in school student characters. The film's cinematography takes a hand-held approach, giving the audience a more personal view of the situation. It constantly follows the action of the scene, and is combined with cuts that goes back and forth between our protagonist and the students. I never really noticed the film's score, i'm not even sure if there was a score but it never really needed it as the acting, and story alone creates that sense of drama and tension. Francois Begaudeau plays our protagonist, Francois Marin, and he did a wonderful job in capturing the difficulties and internal frustrations of being a teacher. Laurent Cantet has made a strong film that touches on a perspective that isn't generally used on film. By the end of the film, it made me think back of my high school days and the difficulties that my teachers had to go through in order to get the students to learn and grow. I do thank my teachers for what they have done for me, because without them, I wouldn't be where I am now.