Because of my experiences as an instructor, I’ve always found most of the films about education (such as “Dead Poets Society,”  “Dangerous Minds” and especially “Mona Lisa Smile”) trite, silly, superficial, and outrageously phony. 

Aside from the rarely screened, Frederic Wiseman documentary, “High School,”  “The Class” is the first film that gets it all right.  There is not one false note in the film. It convincingly captures the day-to-day conflicts, tensions, and triumphs in a modern multi cultural class room.  

This film is probably infinitely more realistic than its predecessors because it was based on a novel by a real teacher, and he even plays the main character. It was based on Francois Begaudeau’s novel about a turbulent year he spent teaching titled “Entre les Murs” which translates into “Between the Walls.”  Most of the film takes place within the classroom.    

As a result there are no false notes in the whole film, and the film is obviously a labor of love. The movie was mostly unscripted, and shot in a cinema verite style on digital video which helps give the film its grittily authentic atmosphere. 

Chicagoans will get a chance to see this gem when it opens this Friday at Landmark Century Cinema. Hopefully the film will benefit from its Oscar nomination for best foreign film and its appearance on many prominent critics’ top 10 lists I (It came out as 13 on the recent "Film Comment" critic’s poll—way above the excellent “Slumdog Millionaire.” 

The film effectively portrays the multi cultural conflicts that occur in a class taught by a Caucasian instructor in a multi cultural Parisian school.  His struggles reflect the situation in Europe in which many countries are adapting to varying success levels to a more diverse multi ethnic student body. And some of the brightest students end up being the most disruptive, and the instructor must sometimes choose between following the rules and truly serving the students. He’s always walking a tightrope because he tries to encourage free thought and expression without allowing the class to explode into anarchy.  

“The Class” was my choice for best film of the year for 2008 (it first screened last year), and I can’t recommend it enough. Despite a few excellent choices (“Milk” and “Slumdog Millionaire”), most of the best picture Oscar nominees pale in comparison. Where else can you see a compelling on-screen discussion of the class ramifications of the imperfect subjunctive?