The Good Teacher

Do you remember an André Cayatte's film from 1967, starring Jacques Brel, as a school teacher accused of molesting - or raping - a little girl? Probably not. Anyway, it's not necessary to have watched the two films; the period is not the same but the plot yes. It is in the line of what happens today from time to time in schools. Good acting and realistic situations. It evokes modern issues. Good French drama which main strength is to remain factual, without any message to deliver. At least that's the way I saw it. François Civil is really a rising star who seems to be able to play any kind of role.

I didn't like the way the story was constructed throughout the film. It had potential, but it was wasted. It would end without an ending and without a conclusion and it would need to have one. In my opinion, it's not worth going to the cinema. I saw it at the Varilux French Film Festival in São Paulo, Brazil. The performances were good, but the characters ended up being clichés. During the film we felt indignation at the protagonist being so foolish and naive, making us want to scream at him not to be such an idiot. The highlight was the children, who represented well the evil, anguish and guilt that can torment everyone at this age, especially the poorest and most vulnerable children.

Watched this on an airplane but should have spent the time reading my book. M. Civil turns in as good a performance as can be expected, but the overall film is seriously lacking in dramatic impact and emotional engagement. Kinda surprising, given its the true story of one of its directors. Blah disguised as social commentary. Actually the kids display more emotion - probably because they're kids and kids are often quite cruel. I don't quite understand why that's true but I know their antisocial behavior is not unique to French culture - perhaps even more so in America. I just wish this film didn't have the French New Wave anti-climatic ending. Blah and blah again.

Although I was never a teacher, part of some of my jobs in social services was to be a Personal Effectiveness tutor. I know how difficult young people can be. I left social work nearly twenty five years ago and things are different now. A few years before I switched careers, upon leaving a job I'd liked, the project manager and staff arranged a leaving do at one of the local pubs. The sixteen to eighteen year old kids were invited. Do that now and all the adults would be sacked and disbarred. Even socialising with the youth outside of arranged school or training events is discouraged. So when Julien took a bunch of favoured kids out for burgers it was very ill advised. Picking on Leslie as part of a poem was not too clever either.

However, Julien was clearly innocent of the accusations which snowballed because of family reactions, school politics and jealous colleagues. Every one of these players made things worse until Julien was openly undermined by fellow staff.

We saw the effects the baseless slurs had on his personal life too in his friendships as well as his relationship with gorgeous Walid.

Based on a true story as it was, I was disappointed not to see a conclusion. Nonetheless we can extrapolate. The original teacher switched careers into the film industry. That's a pretty sad hint.

The film leaves one wondering how many other lives have been ruined by spiteful and untrue accusations, especially these days when the complainant is meant to be believed credulously. I admire those in teaching and youth services but I'm so glad I'm out of that field. The film took me back with its sterling performances. I do recommend it.

This French film draws inspiration from the real-life experiences of its director, Teddy Lussi-Modeste, who also worked as a teacher. The story unfolds in a school located in Seine-Saint-Denis, a suburb of Paris, during the year 2019. Initially, the film adheres to the conventional style of French cinema, introducing the key characters involved in the story of a gay teacher accused of inappropriate conduct towards a female student, but later gets lost in kind of an explanatory mode!

What begins as a minor incident rapidly escalates into a catastrophic situation that devastates numerous lives.

The screenplay is of decent quality, complemented by impressive cinematography, while the acting is average, and other elements of the production are merely satisfactory. At the moment, France faces numerous challenges as a nation, with the struggles within the education system being particularly severe. This film focuses on it in a way that very often feels tasteless or bland!