Lawbolisted Powerful

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Kinley This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

jotix100 A brave teacher in charge of a preschool located in a depressed area, is at the center of this wonderful story of perseverance and courage. Daniel, is a selfless man that must fight constantly in order to get a meager help from the local authorities that instead of providing for his young charges, take away most of the assistance to the school, a demoralizing situation which Daniel must confront head on.The area in which the school is located was a big center for mining. The mines are long gone, but for people like Daniel's father, now living permanently with respiratory problems, it is hard to survive when even jobs have moved elsewhere. Daniel is more interested in the welfare of the families, some living without heat in their homes, having seen their electricity cut off. Daniel is an eternal optimist which shows in his work with the small kids in his care.Daniel is involved romantically with Valeria, an sculptor, with a small boy from a former relationship. Remi, the boy, has all the makings he will fall into gangs that have nothing better than vandalize the school, only to derail what Daniel has fought for with his teaching staff. Fortunately, he gets help from a social worker, Samia, who joints forces with Daniel fighting the bureaucracy.Bernard Tavernier, working on the screenplay with his daughter Tiffany, and Domenique Sampiero, created the right atmosphere in which to frame this story that rings so true and speaks volumes about the crisis most depressed areas have to deal with, not only in France, but in Europe, as well. The film is uplifting because in Daniel one sees an individual who will not hesitate to give his best in nurturing these vulnerable little minds adapt to the world around them. The story is told with realism, showing at the same time the evils in a society where despair takes hold of the people whose lives have changed forever.In Philippe Torreton, the director found a credible actor who shows an intelligence that surprises in his approach of playing Daniel. The actor impresses for his passionate approach to the role. Mr. Torreton has worked with Mr. Tavernier before, showing at ease with what the director wanted of him. The lovely Maria Pitarresi appears as Daniel's love interest, Valeria, and Nadia Kaci plays Samia.

groggo Bertrand Tavernier is a highly skilled writer and director, and here, with co-scenarist Dominique Sampiero, he comes at you head-on: if you want to find the REAL heroes in our society, don't look for cops, robbers, movie stars or sports figures. The REAL heroes could be living next door to you, or you could be one yourself. You just haven't received societal canonization yet.Given the material, It All Starts Today could easily have been a mawkish melodrama, a kind of Good Will Hunting with kindergarten kids. The marvelous thing about Tavernier's direction is that, if anything, he understates what he so sincerely wants to tell you. That's no small feat when you have an army of adorable kids flitting in and out of camera range.This is a deceptively simple story about a committed but deeply frustrated schoolteacher in northern France named Daniel Lefebvre (played by Philippe Torreton). Faced with a gutted coal industry in his home town that has left more than one-third of the citizens unemployed, Lefebvre fights hard to motivate and inspire parents to keep their children in school. The film doesn't preach, it doesn't rant or rave: it merely SHOWS you the exasperation that all but consumes everyone in the wake of economic near-disaster.Torreton is absolutely devastating and charismatic as the frantic Lefebvre. He just takes over the screen even as he becomes part of it You don't believe he's acting, which someone said is the sign of a great actor.What Tavernier is saying is extremely important in this ridiculous age of pop culture, where no-talent 'artists' grab attention and the emotions of young people. They are heroic simply because they're famous, and they're famous because they're heroic. Or something. Watch this film and you'll see teachers, social workers, parents and children who are the REAL heroes of the world.

gemma-5 Ça commence aujourd´hui is a film that allows to know life as it is. Through the life of the school´s children we approached the atmosphere of desolation of an old French mining town. At the same time, we approached the personal situation of the professor who is the conductive thread of history. The life breathed in the landscapes. To feel the near life and to experience the love and the pain, the happiness and the anguish, the vitality and the apathy.

Baloe Social movie, situated in the depressing former mine-towns of northern France. A local school-principal tries to improve the self-esteem of the children and their parents, some of them even without electricity at home. His girlfriend, a sculptress, plans a big multi-racial school-party. Very realistic, but I regretted the fact that the director didn't take the opportunity to play with colors and images.