I went to see this film after reading about all the hype surrounding its subject matter and the manner in which it was dealt with. However after sitting through 2 whole hours of non-stop dialogue and close shots, i felt sapped of all my prior enthusiasm and my subsequent good will toward the film.
It's subject matter - multiculturalism and ethnic-based tension within the school context - is most definitely an intriguing and sensitive subject matter; and perhaps one of the least explored areas of film/television. However, The Class doesn't go nearly in depth as it could have done with the rich material at hand.
A feature film in name, and filmed in close-quarter documentary style, it does offer a slice/mirror of life account of French urban school. But it fails both as a feature film and as a documentary.
The narrative is sporadic and the pace is slow and lacklustre. It felt unpolished and more akin to notes to a novella than an actual novel. There were several interesting narratives and characters which could have been explored at depth, but the director has chosen merely to gloss over them.
Although the film takes an 'tell it as it is in reality' approach, it lacked the acuteness of a fully developed documentary. It didn't have a strong angle in which the viewer could be drawn to, confronted with, or debated about.
The end result is an all too self-conscious (the screen writer even plays the main protagonist) expose on a subject matter, in which this films skims over rather than having the courage to tackle it head on.
I am left wondering whether this films serves more as an accompaniment to François Bégaudeau's book than anything else.
I do see the merits of the film for those who may never experienced first-hand the complexities of multiculturalism in young people, but having grown up experiencing first hand what the film depicts, it doesn't go nearly as thorough as i wished it could have.
It's subject matter - multiculturalism and ethnic-based tension within the school context - is most definitely an intriguing and sensitive subject matter; and perhaps one of the least explored areas of film/television. However, The Class doesn't go nearly in depth as it could have done with the rich material at hand.
A feature film in name, and filmed in close-quarter documentary style, it does offer a slice/mirror of life account of French urban school. But it fails both as a feature film and as a documentary.
The narrative is sporadic and the pace is slow and lacklustre. It felt unpolished and more akin to notes to a novella than an actual novel. There were several interesting narratives and characters which could have been explored at depth, but the director has chosen merely to gloss over them.
Although the film takes an 'tell it as it is in reality' approach, it lacked the acuteness of a fully developed documentary. It didn't have a strong angle in which the viewer could be drawn to, confronted with, or debated about.
The end result is an all too self-conscious (the screen writer even plays the main protagonist) expose on a subject matter, in which this films skims over rather than having the courage to tackle it head on.
I am left wondering whether this films serves more as an accompaniment to François Bégaudeau's book than anything else.
I do see the merits of the film for those who may never experienced first-hand the complexities of multiculturalism in young people, but having grown up experiencing first hand what the film depicts, it doesn't go nearly as thorough as i wished it could have.