The Ventnor Film Society continues the new season of films at the Ventnor Winter Gardens with Entre les Murs (The Class).
Winner of the Palme D’Or at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, Cantet’s classroom film easily transcends its many forerunners and examines classroom politics from a new angle.
Based on Begaudeau’s autobiographical novel, and with him playing the teacher, the film has a documentary feel, following a school year and all the vicissitudes experienced by a young man grappling with the education of 15 year olds from the Parisian outer suburbs.
The climax is a fraught disciplinary hearing, but what makes this film is its honest and perceptive examination of the daily engagement of the teacher with his pupils.
An endlessly fascinating film which, unlike reality TV, does not deal with embarrassment or humiliation but with the idealism of the teacher and his class, and arguably that of the audience as well.
Bits and Bobs:
Tuesday Oct 6th 7.30 p.m. Entre les Murs (The Class)
Dir: Laurent Cantet France 2008 128 mins Cert 15
Cast: Francois Begaudeau, Esmeralda Ouertani, Franck Keita, Rachel Regulier
Prices
Venue: Ventnor Winter Gardens
Single Ticket: £4.50 (£3.50 Concessionary)
Concessionary tickets are available to students, senior citizens and the unwaged.
All VFS presentations (apart from special events) take place on Tuesday evenings and start at 7.30pm. There is a bar in the building and guests may take drinks into film presentations. All are welcome; you do not have to belong to the Society in order to attend.
