Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
Teacher and novelist François Bégaudeau plays a version of himself as he negotiates a year with his racially mixed students from a tough Parisian neighborhood.
Laurent Cantet's Palme d'Or winner is a bracingly naturalistic portrait of a Paris classroom, distinguished above all by its performances — Bégaudeau and the non-professional students generate an almost documentary authenticity that feels genuinely exceptional. The improvisational, semi-scripted approach gives the film a singular voice: neither a conventional inspirational-teacher drama nor a pure docudrama, it occupies its own uncomfortable, intellectually honest space, earning high marks for novelty. The cinematography is functional and handheld-intimate, serving the material well without aspiring to visual distinction. The plotting is deliberately episodic and cumulative rather than dramatically constructed, which suits the realist ambition but limits conventional narrative satisfaction. The ending — Esmeralda's quiet confession and the empty classroom — is understated and honest, though it may frustrate viewers expecting resolution, landing it as solid but not exceptional.