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This film is so wholesome that it may not leap to the top of your watchlist, but it was an interesting window into an Iranian primary school for boys after the revolution, the sexes having been separated as part of Islamic reforms. In it we see the principal lead first graders in exercises in the schoolyard, adjudicate cases between misbehaving kids, and question latecomers as to why they're tardy. Most of the kids we see are "in trouble" and fear punishment, either from the principal or at home later, so it tugs on the heart to watch them squirm, which makes up most of the film.

Occasionally we get glimmers of understanding that these kids come from different home lives and some have serious challenges, which then leads to acting out at school, but this is in a minor key. Mostly it's a testament to the principal, who tries to control the chaos of a large group of boys, keep them behaved, and teach them important virtues. One wonders how complete the picture is that we're getting, but it's touching to see him act with such patience while doling out lessons in responsibility, fraternity, sharing, and perhaps most important of all, forgiveness. The technique he used to find the orange cup a little boy had lost, allowing the one who had taken it to return it anonymously, was brilliant.

"First Graders" is a masterpiece. It is a master's thesis that answers the question "Does cinema imitate life, or does life imitate cinema?" with "The two are not so far apart."

Abbas Kiarostami is a genius, this is not up for debate. Although this work is classified as a "documentary", in my opinion it is a complete cinematic masterpiece. A school, a group of first grade elementary school students, and hidden cameras...

Akira Kurosawa did not speak in vain when he said, "Words cannot describe my feelings about them... I was very depressed when Satyajit Ray died. But after seeing Kiarostami's films, I thanked God for giving us the right person to replace him."