Monsieur Lazhar (2011)

Directed by

Philippe Falardeau

Genre

drama film, comedy film

Country

Canada

Runtime

1h 34m

Rated

M

Rating

7.2 of 10 from 358 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

An Algerian refugee in Montreal becomes a substitute teacher at an elementary school after a teacher dies by suicide. He uses his own experiences to help the students process grief and heal.

gentlemelancholictenderrestrainedquietthoughtfulbittersweethumanistic

What happens

Monsieur Lazhar is a 2011 Canadian French-language drama film directed by Philippe Falardeau and starring Mohamed Saïd Fellag, Sophie Nélisse and Danielle Proulx. Based on Bashir Lazhar, a one-character play by Évelyne de la Chenelière, it tells the story of an Algerian refugee in Montreal who steps in to teach at an elementary school after the former full-time teacher dies by suicide. Falardeau opted to film the story for the Canadian company micro_scope, despite the challenges of adapting a play with only one character. De la Cheneliere advised Falardeau and recommended casting Algerian comedian Fellag. It was filmed in Montreal. After premiering at the Locarno International Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award and the Variety Piazza Grande Award, it received critical acclaim. The film was subsequently nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards, and also won six Genie Awards, including Best Motion Picture. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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