Superbly realized/documentary-like look at a semester in a French public kindergarten in a haggard coal district town (Zola’s model for GERMINAL) from co-writer/director Bertrand Tavernier, working in his loose, late style. Philippe Torreton, who ran the award circuit on his previous film with Tavernier (CAPTAINE CONAN/’96, his debut lead), earned more top-honors on an utterly different characterization, director of an elsewise all-female staffed school. At first glance, the children so unruly, so unsocialized, so behind in developmental skills, you imagine it’s a Special Needs facility. But no, what we see playing out are the largely foreseeable consequences of deprivation (health, food, income, employment, government services), an overworked staff and an under-financed facility. One long-term teacher spelling out for us the decline in student attitude, behavior, even hygiene.* Tavernier, helped by his son-in-law co-writer’s twenty -years experience in the system, has a wealth of material to work with, organizing a roundelay of missed opportunities, small triumphs and major tragedies, while not ignoring personal challenges at home with the supervisor’s artistic live-in girlfriend and her teen son, currently acting out in dangerous ways. Torreton’s character obviously born for the job, even something of a saint in the classrooms he oversees, if much less so at home. Some of the administrative fights he takes up with an overburdened system feel a little pat, but mostly this is both impressive and often extremely moving. The film all but entirely missed Stateside, but try to find it on a service, perhaps under its French title.
DOUBLE-BILL/LINK: As mentioned, CAPITAINE CONAN, a WWI masterpiece from Tavernier & Torreton. OR: *See what that vet teacher was talking about in François Truffaut’s idealized portrait of school kids in SMALL CHANGE/’76. https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2008/06/small-change-1976.html
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