Les grands esprits

Movies about school in difficult suburbs is becoming quite a trend in French cinema. This one has its moments but does not level some already made.

Its originality came from the set-up of the story: here we follow a teacher that is part of the privileged, highly selected "grandes écoles" (French specific system where selected students work hard to prepare competitive exams to enter the best renowned school - at international level). This system goes with inflexibility, hard work, high expectation and bad grades. The transition from the top - always judged as unsatisfaying - to the disadvantaged secondary school should be a shock, both in level and in student behaviour and interest. I however think it could have been better used in the story in the teacher discovery period, even if we had to face the discipline issues and the "awakening" transition.

Finally, this change of world is also used to - and the title is there to point it out -question ourselves what a great mind is, and how school can help a youth to become one.

As teacher, I saw this real good film as a too deja vu. the differences , the adaptation, the challenges, the sentimental problems, the discover of students step by step, the vulnerability of the position of front to the class, the social problems and the options. for the others could be a nice film. and that is not a wrong impression. the humor, the spices of French cinema are good points. and, sure, the performances. but for me, it remains a smart, maybe too unrealistic in few scenes, portrait of the life of a teacher.