The Class Page #4

Synopsis: Teacher François Marin and his colleagues are preparing for another school year teaching at a racially mixed inner city high school in Paris. The teachers talk to each other about their prospective students, both the good and the bad. The teachers collectively want to inspire their students, but each teacher is an individual who will do things in his or her own way to achieve the results they desire. They also have differing viewpoints on the students themselves, and how best to praise and discipline them. The administration of the school tries to be as fair as possible, which includes having student representatives sit on the student evaluation committee. Marin's class this year of fourteen and fifteen year olds is no different than previous years, although the names and faces have changed. Marin tries to get through to his students, sometimes with success and sometimes resulting in utter failure. Even Marin has his breaking point, which may result in him doing things he would probabl
Genre: Drama
Director(s): Laurent Cantet
Production: Sony Pictures Classics
  Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 10 wins & 27 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.5
Metacritic:
92
Rotten Tomatoes:
95%
PG-13
Year:
2008
128 min
$3,700,000
Website
1,894 Views


You refuse to read... What happened?

I dont like reading now.

Can you hurry, please?

No, I wont hurry!

Explain.

Why have things changed

all of a sudden?

I cant stay a kid forever

So its a kid thing to cooperate?

That's it

- There's others in the class.

Of course, when you work, it's

I havent finished.

My moms waiting for me

I want an apology first

An apology for what you did

"I apologize for

being insolent, sir"

Sorry. Ok?

No, not sorry.

"I apologize for being insolent"

Go ahead

"I apologize, sir"

- "No, I apologize

for being insolent"

Be sincere. I want a real apology

Can you hurry up, please?

- My moms waiting

- For your apology

Lets deal with this

I want a sincere apology

...thatll stand for the rest of the year

We wont go on like this

I apologize for being insolent.

More conviction!

Im not saying it 50 times

- You two,

What are you up to?

Were waiting

Hurry, Im listening

I apologize for being insolent.

May I go now, please?

I didnt mean it

Two weeks ago, at the last meeting

the teachers suggested

introducing a penalty point system

for the students

...based on the driving license system

If student broke a rule

...they would lose points

As its teachers idea,

Ill let them to speak

Since last September...

...weve noticed an increase

in problems within the school.

Punishment has no effect

on the students

So we had the idea

...of a penalty system

The students would have

for example six points each

and depending on the misdeed

theyd lose one or two points.

And when they run out of points?

They go before the disciplinary committee.

As a parents representative...

...this is typical

of the schools bad habits

You always condemn the students...

...but never praise them

They earn praise on their own

They do it with their grades,

by moving up a class

and we do it in staff meetings...

...by encouraging them to work.

Theres the honor roll,

the congratulations.

that all counts.

In your system

...you take away points for misdeeds

but why not further

...and give points to those

who do good things?

Like gold stars.

Im all for praising the students.

but if student collect points

and end up with 34 points, say,

...That leaves room

for all kinds of trouble,

...we cant control

Without going as far...

as these imaginary 34 points

...six points to start with,

means they can cause trouble

without punishment.

Losing a point or two

isnt a real punishment.

It can create

a dangerous sense of impunity.

For me, the ideas

totally wrong-headed.

In that case,

...we could find a punishment

...where the students

lose all their points in one go...

But why bother with the points

in that case?

Its tricky

- What you call a sense of impunity

gives us a room to maneuver,

...When youre dealing

with punishments.

that are cut and dried,

you cant adapt them to each case

I dont agree

The rules apply in the same way

...to all the students

They break them, theyre punished

If not, why bother with rules?

Dealing with extremely strict rules

...creates the greatest tension...

Take cell phones

We agreed on a rule...

...that cell phones

were not allowed in class

Sorry, but I break that rule

...because it wasnt problem for me

Theres room to be tolerant.

The reign of the arbitrary.

No, the law

and the spirit of the law.

We could talk all night

but its not possible

We have other topics to tackle.

In particular, one vital issue,

a very sensitive one,

concerning the staff coffee machine.

Its a sensitive issue, all right

Theres a real problem this year...

...The price of a coffee has gone up

from 40 centimes

to 50 centimes

That may seem petty...

...but with several coffees a day,

...at 8, 10 or 4

in the afternoon...

it works out a lot

...So we've clubbed together

to buy a coffee maker.

- That way we can drink

as much coffee as we want...

...without having to count.

- Mr. Pierre will be delighted

to reply.

- First of all, this machine

was installed in 2001...

to replace a machine

...that needed the intervention of...

...an outside company for restocking

...repairs etc.

It was very expensive

And not at all profitable

We switched to the new machine,

which isnt profitable yet

Im sorry to hear that!

And so we increased

...the price of coffee by ten centimes.

The thing has to be

economically viable

- Nobodys shocked?

- Its clear and logical for me.

- Good evening. Dont move

- We have to go

We havent finished

" Respect

" Adolescents

learn to respect their teachers...

..." because of threats...

..." or the fear of having problems

" For starters, I respect you...

..." and respect must be mutual

For instance,

I didnt say youre hysterical

..." so why do you say I am?

" Ive always respected you

..." so I dont understand

why I have to write this.

" I know you have it in for me

but dont know why.

" I shall sit at the back...

..." to avoid any other conflicts.

" unless you come looking for them.

" I admit I can be insolent...

..." but only if provoked.

" I wont look at you again,.

" so you cant say

my look is insolent.

" In theory, in French class,

..." you talk about French,

not your grandma or sister

..." or girls periods.

" And so, from now on,

..." I wont spell to you again.. "

Signed Khoumba.

- What is it?

- Secret.

- A secret?

- A secret.

It wont stay a secret for long.

Esmeralda,

Why have you changed places?

No reason.

I felt like it.

- A problem?

- No, not at all.

No problem.

I wanted a change of scene.

Ok, thats enough.

Lets get to work.

No, sir, please!

Please, sir!

Youre just copying

what you did at home

Youve had plenty of time

Esmeralda.

I have to?

Yes, absolutely.

My name is Esmeralda Ouertani.

I'm 14...

...I live on Allee du Pere Dhuit...

...Paris 20,

...with my two parents and

my three brothers and sisters.

Later,

...Id like to be a policewoman...

...because people say

all policeman are bad,

...and so we need good ones.

If not, Id like to be a rapper...

...and Im fan of Bakar, Medine,

...Younes, Marvin and Mafiak1 Fry.

Otherwise,

I like eating, sleeping

and hanging out in the hood.

Or rather?

- The neighborhood.

- You can say it right.

When you write,

you use the standard style...

Dont make me correct you.

Wey, go on.

My names Wey, Im Chinese.

Im 15, I have two sisters,

Im the youngest.

My hobby is playing video games

at least 4 hours a day.

I find it hard

using French correctly.

Its so hard expressing myself...

...that others dont understand me.

Thats why I dont communicate much.

I hardly ever go out.

Nothing much interests me outside...

The environment doesnt suit me here

since Im allergic

...but i dont know what.

Allergic to yourself, thats what.

Thats good, Wey.

I feel I know you better...

...after hearing your self portrait.

Thats the goal. To tell us things.

Hes just happens to be good,

not ours

No, not at all.

I can congratulate Wey

and I'd gladly congratulate you,

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Laurent Cantet

Laurent Cantet ([lɔʁɑ̃ kɑ̃tɛ]; born 15 June 1961) is a French director, cinematographer and screenwriter. His parents were schoolteachers in Ardilleux.His 2001 film L'Emploi du temps was placed at 99 on Slant Magazine's best films of the 2000s, number 9 of The Guardian's Best Films of the Noughties, and number 11 at The A.V. Club's top 50 films of the 2000s (decade).On 25 May 2008, he received the Palme d'Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, for the film Entre les murs. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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