by contributor Donna Shor
Photo credit: Courtesy of Music Box Films
“Monsieur Lazhar,” the Canadian Oscar-nominated film that has endeared itself to audiences from Quebec to Abu Dhabi―winning prizes at five film festivals along the way―will opened at the E Street Cinema April 27h….in French, with subtitles.
The sure hand of director Philippe Falardeau who has chosen the perfect cast, guides the absorbing story through a gamut of emotions from tragedy to gentle humor.
Bashir Lazhar, (Mohamed Fellag) an Algerian immigrant in Canada, on reading of the death of a teacher at a local elementary school, presents himself as an experienced teacher and is immediately hired by the principal, overwhelmed by the urgent need for a replacement.
She needs to restore stability because the children are plunged into grief, deepened because the death was a suicide. The children are not only grieving the loss of Martine, their beloved teacher, but they resent that she took her own life, thinking they have been betrayed by her leaving them.
Lazhar, a humble man, soon feels their resistance, not only because no one can replace Martine, but because his personality is low-keyed and rather formal, masking the warmth of his true self. Also, he blunders―clearly through inexperience― by not being attuned to their learning level until, frustrated, they have to tell him that at their age they cannot handle Balzac as a composition assignment.
He is told by a colleague, not unkindly, that as a foreign immigrant, “You are not aware of nuances.” His life is withdrawn and lonely, despite the efforts of Claire (Brigitte Poupart), another teacher. A warm-spirited woman, clearly attracted to him, she attempts to draw him out. There is a very funny scene where both he and she are at cross-purposes, because of his clueless awkwardness.
As the story unfolds, the children begin to respond to his quiet kindness, and his compassion toward them. Neither they nor the brisk headmistress (Danielle Proulx) know the hurtful past he is fleeing or that he risks deportation at any time and an uncertain future, prison or worse.
With the arrival of a box at the post office, which appears to be a shipment of apricot jam, we learn his story, and his fears. Linked to these are the fears of the children because of Martine and death. Deciding death must be confronted, he braves the taboo subject and by encouraging them to talk about her, angers the principal as well as parents.
The drama builds until the clash of two children in the class, his favorite pupil Alice (Sophie Nélisse) wise with an understanding mature beyond her years, and unruly Simon (Emilion Néron) who is burdened by a sense of well-earned guilt over Martine. Their conflict in an unforgettable scene leads to the dénoument.
Philippe Falardeau, screenwriter and director of “Monsieur Lazhar”, based the film on a one-man play he happened across. As he listened, in his imagination he peopled the slender story with the characters and situations that make the film so memorable. (The playwright, Evelyne de la Cheneliėre, appears briefly as Alice’s mother.)
