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To Be and To Have
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To Be And To Have
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Reviewed by Shelley Cameron
For Reel Movie Critic
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Directed by Nicolas Philibert. Documentary. Not Rated. 104 minutes. French with English subtitles.
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A Man For All Seasons
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Quietly magnificent, this penetrating documentary from French director Nicolas Philibert, is a lyrical cinematic chronicle of life in a one-room schoolhouse in the country. Philibert gets under the skin of this tiny class to capture events both ordinary and extraordinary, some of which may turn out to be defining moments in the development of both teacher and student, with never a dull moment in between. Monsieur Lopez has spent 35 years teaching in this old fashioned way, the past 20 at this charming school in the French Alps. Outside as the winter wind blows, a warmth and safety radiates inside. Without a shred of cutesiness and with remarkable candor, the small crew of filmmakers managed to become more completely invisible than one would think possible to capture a banquet of moments in the life of these students and their master.
Of the hundreds of one-room schoolhouses still thriving in France, this one in Saint-Etienne-sur-Usson catches the essence of the guileless wisdom gained only in this setting. Roughly a dozen students, ranging in age from nursery school through those on the brink of teen-hood, the older ones help the younger ones and the younger ones disperse a constant energy. This environment demands a teacher with attention tuned to several places at once while remaining focused on the child in front of him. Such a man is Lopez. Nearing retirement, his experience and accomplished style meets the needs of each individual in this diverse group. As the small school bus makes its rounds collecting children, the harsh winters and the daily difficulty of simply getting to school make springtime all the more glorious when it comes. We are privy to the daily lessons, both academic and otherwise, learned in this genial place.
Somewhat serious, mild mannered, and totally in command, Lopez gently guides the different class levels. He responds to a distracted Johann with firm but kind discipline. Alize, with her constantly runny nose and untidy braids, is temporarily lost on a summer picnic. We come to know shy Natalie, whose uncertainty is so close to the surface at times you can literally feel her pain, likewise for nervous Julian whose father has been seriously ill.
Scenes of the countryside, lushly photographed, finish the portrait. We follow the class on their forays outdoors for an afternoon of winter sledding or when desks are moved outside for lessons after warm weather comes. The beautiful, arduous task of learning to read and write becomes a thing of beauty to behold under this skillful teacher and this skillful filmmaker. The older children will soon leave this serene place for middle school. The last day of school is a bittersweet farewell. With the backdrop of the ever-changing seasons, the rhythms of life pulse in this humbly radiant film.
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