April 1-2: Monsieur Lazhar

    (Canada, 2011. 94 mins. French Subtitled)

    A Film by Philippe Falardeau

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjNCkxnT-xE

An exploration of how adults speak to children about issues they'd rather not confront themselves, Philippe Falardeau's nuanced and beautiful Monsieur Lazhar won Best Canadian Feature prize at the Festival in 2011. The film's emotional impact is made all the more powerful by its deceptively simple style. From the team that produced last year's Oscar nominee Incendies.

One of Quebec's finest young filmmakers returns to Canada's Top Ten with a luminous and heartbreaking exploration of how adults speak to children about issues they themselves would rather not confront. When an elementary school teacher commits suicide, her class and the entire community is shaken to the core. No one wants to talk about it save her replacement, Bachir Lazhar (Fellag), an Algerian immigrant seeking political asylum.

As the film proceeds and it becomes painfully clear that the children cannot move on without addressing why Lazhar's predecessor took her own life, Lazhar takes risks he's already been cautioned against in a bid to help his young charges. A nuanced and incomparably beautiful work, Monsieur Lazhar is easily one of this year's most emotionally affecting films - its impact made all the more powerful by the film's deceptively simple style. Exquisitely acted by Fellag and a group of extraordinarily talented children, it's the latest from the team that produced last year's Oscar nominee Incendies. Philippe Falardeau, is responsible for some of the best films to emerge from Quebec in the last decade, including TIFF 2000's Best Canadian First Feature Film winner La Moitie gauche du frigo, and previous Top Ten entries Congorama and C'est pas moi, je la jure!

Best Canadian Feature Film, TIFF; Prix Du Public UBS and the Variety Piazza Grande Award, Locarno Film Festival; Canadian submission, 2012 Academy Awards.

There are no heroes or villains in Philippe Falardeau's masterful classroom drama, just adults and kids struggling with euphemisms and secrets in the wake of a teacher's suicide. Algerian actor Fellag is outstanding as the immigrant teacher wounded by life but determined to help others. Equally impressive are the young actors, Falardeau's specialty, whom he guides to poignant performances.

Cast: Cheneliére, Émilien Néron, Brigitte Poupart

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