ENTRE LES MURS (Laurent Cantet, 2008, France) François struggles to pierce the apathy and unrest of his delinquent students, products of unstructured modernity and burgeoning adolescence. Director Laurent Cantet casts François Bègaudeau the actual teacher and writer of this tough memoir of inner city scholastics, sharpening the cinema verite style and creating a palpable friction between authority and the rebellious youth. Laurent eschews actors and instead chooses to have the teenagers portray themselves, their dialogue loud, impudent, with overlapping arguments and excited utterances, reliving the disease of the classroom. The film is essentially without a fundamental plot and instead centers on individual struggles, vignettes that pry open the hardened foundations of teachers and students to reveal their telltale hearts. François attains that sacred Demilitarized Zone of communication whose ethereal boundaries remain unspoken, neither condescending towards the weakest of his students nor allowing their machinegun-like chatter to overpower his position. Cantet takes us inside the teacher’s lounge where these professionals struggle with their jobs, cursing the disruptive idiots and questioning their own expectations; many see the children as a lost cause, and the few who have a chance are lost amid the inane babble of the violent and hopeless. But we also see from the teenager’s perspectives, their playground society like a prison yard, Darwinian ethics subduing those who truly wish to succeed. François eventually violates the tacit treaty when he loses his temper and curses at two girls by calling them skanks: students who snicker and chew gum and are supposed to be class representatives. He is trying to help Souleymane, a young man who has potential but seems preoccupied with failure, and these girls broke the rules of the meeting by disclosing private information. We quickly discover the double standard of high school morality: François has fallen from his pedestal, his only fault being that he never accepts full responsibility and toys with the use of semantics and context. Souleymane’s tempestuous outburst leaves him facing suspension and though we see the parent/teacher confrontation…the story never veers into melodramatic familial excuses. Cantet’s camera remains rooted in the school for the entire two hours. The secret ballot is taken and we are not allowed to know how François voted but the outcome seems predetermined. The film ends with a quiet young girl, an apparition who haunted the back of the classroom all semester, sadly admitting that she did not learn anything and is afraid to be reduced to Vocational School. She is one of the lost children, to remain forever intellectually inert, who will always be a ghost in society’s machine. The final shot of a disheveled classroom, chairs and desks askew, is an apt metaphor for our lost generations. (B)
It's funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when you viddy them on the screen.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
ENTRE LES MURS (Laurent Cantet, 2008, France) François struggles to pierce the apathy and unrest of his delinquent students, products of unstructured modernity and burgeoning adolescence. Director Laurent Cantet casts François Bègaudeau the actual teacher and writer of this tough memoir of inner city scholastics, sharpening the cinema verite style and creating a palpable friction between authority and the rebellious youth. Laurent eschews actors and instead chooses to have the teenagers portray themselves, their dialogue loud, impudent, with overlapping arguments and excited utterances, reliving the disease of the classroom. The film is essentially without a fundamental plot and instead centers on individual struggles, vignettes that pry open the hardened foundations of teachers and students to reveal their telltale hearts. François attains that sacred Demilitarized Zone of communication whose ethereal boundaries remain unspoken, neither condescending towards the weakest of his students nor allowing their machinegun-like chatter to overpower his position. Cantet takes us inside the teacher’s lounge where these professionals struggle with their jobs, cursing the disruptive idiots and questioning their own expectations; many see the children as a lost cause, and the few who have a chance are lost amid the inane babble of the violent and hopeless. But we also see from the teenager’s perspectives, their playground society like a prison yard, Darwinian ethics subduing those who truly wish to succeed. François eventually violates the tacit treaty when he loses his temper and curses at two girls by calling them skanks: students who snicker and chew gum and are supposed to be class representatives. He is trying to help Souleymane, a young man who has potential but seems preoccupied with failure, and these girls broke the rules of the meeting by disclosing private information. We quickly discover the double standard of high school morality: François has fallen from his pedestal, his only fault being that he never accepts full responsibility and toys with the use of semantics and context. Souleymane’s tempestuous outburst leaves him facing suspension and though we see the parent/teacher confrontation…the story never veers into melodramatic familial excuses. Cantet’s camera remains rooted in the school for the entire two hours. The secret ballot is taken and we are not allowed to know how François voted but the outcome seems predetermined. The film ends with a quiet young girl, an apparition who haunted the back of the classroom all semester, sadly admitting that she did not learn anything and is afraid to be reduced to Vocational School. She is one of the lost children, to remain forever intellectually inert, who will always be a ghost in society’s machine. The final shot of a disheveled classroom, chairs and desks askew, is an apt metaphor for our lost generations. (B)
