BlazeLime Strong and Moving!

PodBill Just what I expected

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Leoni Haney Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

drz I said this was the best movie ever the day after I watched it and am still saying it a decade later (though I have not watched it lately) It is slowly but perfectly paced. The action tales place within, and at the end it serves up your hart on a silver platter... The catharsis is deep but not painful like in Pan's Labyrinth or Jacob's Ladder, this movie stole my heart without ripping it out my chest. Oh the plot and so on? Don't worry about that, you would not be watching this movie for "a plot" though will not miss it either if you seek humanity in cinema.

CinemaClown Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Monsieur Lazhar is an elegantly crafted, patiently narrated & wonderfully performed cinema that brings on screen a bittersweet story of love, loss & grief shared between a teacher & his students. And while it may look like a cinema about teacher-pupil bonding, Monsieur Lazhar is much more than that.Set in Montreal, Monsieur Lazhar follows Bachir Lazhar; an Algerian immigrant who is hired to replace an elementary school teacher after she commits suicide in her classroom. While the cultural gap at first creates a barrier between the two, Lazhar is eventually able to earn the respect of his students while they recover from their recent loss but in the process, his own dark past is revealed.Directed by Philippe Falardeau, Monsieur Lazhar is told with great sensitivity & is beautifully composed from start to finish. The film does capture Lazhar's relationship with his students & faculty but what makes it such an endearing experience is the evident difference in two cultures, his struggle in adapting to school's educational reforms, the discussions he has with his pupils about tender issues & his own tragic loss.Cinematography makes brilliant use of the cold colour palette, the ambiance of a classroom is authentically captured, camera movements are very relaxed, Editing makes sure almost every scene contributes to the story in one way or another plus the whole picture is steadily paced, use of background score is minimal but effective whenever it makes its presence felt and the performance by every cast member is impressive.On an overall scale, Monsieur Lazhar is an heartwarming & heartbreaking cinema that offers a rare glimpse at the roles teachers are asked to play not only by the school system but the students' parents as well, and has a thing or two to say about the lies we tell our children. Boosted by great all-round performances, deepened by its rich cinematography yet feeling slightly incomplete by its lack of detail, Monsieur Lazhar is a work of surprising boldness & maturity that comes thoroughly recommended.

Red-125 Monsieur Lazhar (2011) is a French-Canadian film written and directed by Philippe Falardeau. As the movie opens, we learn that Bachir Lazhar (played by the talented Mohamed Fellag), an Algerian immigrant, has been hired to replace a teacher who has committed suicide.What I expected was a film about how, with gentleness and kindness, Mr. Lazhar overcame prejudice to give the students a better understanding of themselves and of this tragedy. However, the predictable film I had expected is not what the director has given us.Mr. Lazhar doesn't meet with much prejudice--from students, their parents, or his new colleagues. He is, indeed, gentle and kind, but there's much more to the movie than that. Lazhar is a complex character with a complex history. The situation surrounding the suicide of the teacher is complex as well. The interaction of these plot lines is what makes the film fascinating.This is definitely a movie worth seeking out and seeing. It's subtle and subdued, but never boring. We saw the film at the wonderful Dryden Theatre at Eastman House in Rochester. However, it should work almost as well on a small screen. Monsieur Lazhar is a work of art that demonstrates the importance of independent cinema in our culture. Try not to miss this one.

Armand about small things. show of nuances. and lesson. about height of pain. about state of stranger in a strange country or situation. touching, subtle, profound. extremely delicate. picture of a world and discuss about values. a velvet and silk story. about rules of society. about cold rules and warm feelings. about fear, force of memories and limits. about circle of gestures facts. about solitude and fragility. or, only, a good script and a remarkable performance of each actor. a special event. and window to a form of salt happiness. must see it ! because a review is not enough to describe the flavor, wonderful flavor of this trip in the essence of fight against yourself.