Comment

Feb 16, 2017CaptainHecto rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
A nice enough film, perhaps more enjoyable for viewers familiar with the good old days in French primary schools: the daily dictée, the mastery of grammar, the importance of respect and self-discipline, and so on. Here those classical values, brought to a Montreal school by an Algerian refugee imbued with French culture, gently collide with the more touchy-feely pedagogy of today. The ending is predictable, but the journey is worth the effort. To better appreciate the cultural context in which our Monsieur Lazhar was trained, don't miss 'Etre et avoir', a profound and moving documentary on the old-style village school in France.