Alliance Française DuPage, Inc. - P.O.Box 3992 - Naperville, IL 60567 - USA
Monsieur Lazhar (2011) Directed by Philippe Falardeau and starring Mohamed Saïd Fellag, Sophie Nélisse and Danielle Proulx.
Thursday, January 27, 2022 at 7:00 PM
In French with English subtitles.
For AF DuPage and AF du North Shore Members -
Please RSVP below by Monday, January 24th to receive the Zoom link.
Synopsis of Film
Algerian immigrant Bachir Lazhar is seeking political refuge in Montreal where he fills a position left open by an elementary school teacher who committed suicide. Claiming to have taught in his home country, he convinces the desperate principal to give him the job. He gets to know his students and takes them on a journey that is both healing and inspirational despite both a cultural gap and difficulty adapting to the school system's structure.
His tender and empathetic story explores his relationships with both students and faculty. As viewers, we are placed squarely in the shoes of an immigrant and a teacher where we gain a deep appreciation for the daily challenges that each faces. Hope emerges as we see how people working through emotional pain can help each other despite cultural barriers and generational differences.
The late and renowned film critic, Roger Ebert (1942–2013) gave a nod in his 2012 review to the complexity of this charming but sad film by saying that it was a film of “no simple questions and simple answers”.
This film was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards. It was also a winner of the Best Canadian Feature Film at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festiva
Virtual French Cinema
The Federation of Alliances Françaises USA has partnered with the Los Angeles-based COLCOA Film Festival to provide a platform of 150+ recent French films and documentaries, available for streaming in the USA. Prices start at $2.99 per rental.
Visit https://colcoa.org/virtual-cinema/ for the full listing of available movies.
