For Reel

The Class: Blu-ray Review

Director: Laurent Cantet

*** This is a special extended blu-ray review written for killerfilm.com.

The Film:

Hailed as the anti-inspirational teacher film, “The Class” examines the classroom dichotomy between a diverse group of students and a teacher who, despite his best efforts to be a good man, often makes critical and even offensive errors. The students aren’t exactly portrayed as pleasant, either – they are rude, interruptive, and territorial. The film paints a portrait of an ever-evolving student body in a failed traditionalist educational system – a system which is exclusive, demanding, and more focused on the memorization of verb conjugations than anything we may feel useful in our increasingly globalized world.

“The Class”, which won the Palme d’Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, is the newest film by French director Laurent Cantent. It is based on a novel by Francois Bégaudeau, who plays the film’s “hero”, M. Marin. The film takes place entirely within the walls of a school – whether it be the classroom, teachers lounge, or courtyard. Inside is a low-income and multiethnic conglomerate of students.

M. Marin is a good man, and he tries his best to engage his diverse student body, but he’s far from perfect. The classroom’s laid back atmosphere makes him prone to error – such as when he, unknowingly, disrespects his students or, in a fit of frustration, tells two young girls that they had acted like skanks during a teacher’s meeting. The film, very much about language and communication, enjoys discussing the politics of a term like that. Who is allowed to say it, and to whom, and when is it offensive? Cantet seems to argue that it’s all about the setting – the teenagers are appalled by Marin’s use of such an offensive phrase in his classroom, but when Marin confronts them in the courtyard, their territory, they call him an asshole without reservation. The film, as many people have pointed out, is simply a series of sparring matches between M. Marin and his students.

Begaudeau’s performance is as memorable as any performance we’ve seen this decade. M. Marin is an elusive bag of contradictions, and Begaudeau gains our reluctant sympathy despite some of his poor decisions. He also has a tremendous chemistry with the teenagers in the film – his exchanges with a few of the more outspoken students, such as the confrontational Esmeralda (Esmeralda Ouertani), are nothing short of magic.

“The Class” is a tremendously authentic observation on the politics of the modern classroom. The film doesn’t necessarily hate the educational system, rather it examines the falseness of a traditional system in a progressive climate which is rapidly diversifying. We see students who succeed, students who are dismissed, and students who are simply left behind. “The Class” is a rare treat, and certainly a much more interesting film than the umpteenth “Dead Poet’s Society” or “Dangerous Minds” knock-off. It was one of my favorite films of 2008.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: The 2.35:1 transfer isn’t too remarkable, but then again a film in this cinéma vérité style isn’t meant to look incredibly sharp. It feels a bit dull, but it’s intentional – that being said, it’s probably not the kind of film you’d use to show of the new HDTV. The audio track is good as well, even when it’s especially busy in the noisy classroom environment.

Supplements:

Audio and Video Scene Commentaries: Here’s an interesting take on the DVD commentary. Director Laurent Cantet and writer/actor Francois Begaudeau sit down and comment on several scenes of the film, pausing momentarily to add insight. There are three segments – The Imperfect of Subjunctive, The Courtyard Dispute, and The Disciplinary Board – totaling about 40 minutes in length, and Cantet and Begaudeau are incredibly thorough in dissecting each shot, gesture, and line of dialogue.

Making of The Class: A wonderful documentary on the making of the film. Also running about 40 minutes in length, this piece takes us through the initial acting workshops, to the first screening of the completed film (where the kids find out they’ll be attending Cannes), to the presentation of the Palme d’Or. A touching and intimate behind-the-scenes look at the filming of the movie.

Actors’ Workshop: 30 minutes of improvisations between Begaudeau and the students. It’s shot with a single handheld camera, so it’s not remarkably impressive to look at – but it does present a clear example of the talent of everyone involved with the film. The kids never miss a beat in what are long, intense, and completely unbroken exchanges with the enormously talented Francois Begaudeau.

Actors’ Self Portraits: An interesting feature, if a bit monotonous. The kids all stand in front of the camera and read their self portraits. The feature runs about 10 minutes in length, but it’s not a necessary inclusion.

Theatrical Trailer: The blu-ray disc features the film’s theatrical trailer.

Trailers: The blu-ray disc presents additional high definition trailers for the following: “Blu-ray Disc is High Definition”, “Every Little Step”, “Easy Virtue”, “I’ve Loved You So Long”, “Paris 36″, “Married Life”, “The Jane Austen Book Club”, “Damages: Season 1″, “Casino Royale”, and “The Da Vinci Code Extended Cut”.

Conclusion: I can’t recommend this enough. The film by itself on a DVD-R would be worth the $20 – $30 it’ll cost you, but this disc includes over two hours of enormously satisfying and insightful special features. “The Class” was one of the few films in the history of Cannes to be given the Palme d’Or after a unanimous decision, and it was also an Academy Award nominee. It has not been overhyped.

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