Monsieur Lazhar (2011)
Directed by Philippe Falardeau
During a harsh Montréal winter, an elementary-school class is left reeling after its teacher commits suicide. Bachir Lazhar, a charismatic Algerian immigrant, steps in as the substitute teacher for the classroom of traumatized children. All the while, he must keep his personal life tucked away: the fact that he is seeking political refuge in Québec – and that he, like the children, has suffered an appalling loss.
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What critics compared Monsieur Lazhar to
Written and directed with economy and insight by Philippe Falardeau, Monsieur Lazhar isn't one of those inspirational teacher melodramas (see Dangerous Minds, Dead Poets Society), but rather a sad, reflective study of the possibilities, and the impossibilities, inherent in the teacher-student relationship.
This isn’t some To Sir With Love or Dead Poets Society, a paean to the nobility of the teacher as underpaid hero.