Monsieur Lahzar – Reelworld (Kent Tentschert/Carol Hemphill)

Posted by kent May 31, 2012 | Movie: Monsieur Lahzar
CAROL’s Take: One ordinary morning at a Montreal middle school, Simon (Emiliem Neron) finds his teacher hanging in their classroom. His friend Alice (Sophie Nelisse) sees the lifeless figure, too. An immigrant from Algeria, Bachir Lahzar (an amazing Fellag), shows up and offers to teach the class. Eager for some normalcy, the principal hires him on the spot. M. Lahzar’s outdated methods differ from usual practices. In an era when staff is forbidden to touch students, he pops a kid on the head for acting out. He strokes the arm of a crying boy. He reads Balzac. But while M. Lahzar – whose family was murdered back home – is out of...

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