Monsieur Lazhar Review

Tactfully opened out from a stage play by Évelyne de la Chenelière, Philippe Falardeau’s Oscar nominee is a potent mix of coming-of-age saga, bereavement melodrama and political parable. Hired to teach elementary kids after their teacher commits suicide in their classroom, Algerian refugee Mohamed Saïd Fellag harbours his own pain, this allowing him to heal himself while coaxing his pupils through their crisis. This could have been mawkish and Falardeau doesn’t eschew platitudes altogether. But, such is the sensitivity of the writing and direction, as well as the performances, that this remains a touching story whose insights into issues such as ethnicity, duty, violence, communication and integration are shrewd and provocative.