Klass

Klass (2007) ****

Although sadly school violence has become all too common place in recent years, very few films have dared to examine it. Gus Van Sant did it thoughtfully and patiently in his Tarr inspired Elephant, which took home the Palm D'Or at Cannes when it debuted. That film dealt with the daily routines of a number of high school students on the day of the shooting. Conversely, Ilmar Raag's Klass details the weeks leading up to its sad climax, dissecting just how such an event can happen.

One day, after being chided by his girlfriend, Kaspar (Vallo Kirs) for helping pick on Joosep (Part Uusberg), he begins to change his ways, and sympathize with the boy. This causes his friends - the bullies - to turn on him, and soon both are the victims. Their daily routine consists of Kaspar trying to protect Joosep, and trying to stop their beatings. After weeks of torture, and a fateful trick used to assemble the two into a trap on a beach one day changes everything for everyone.

Director Raag uses a frenetic editing pace in many segments. Some scenes are masterfully created with cutaways timed nicely, while at other times the editing is too busy, trying to be too flashy. That can be a distraction, and I think takes away from the film. Raag also mixes up his soundtrack, at times using pounding techno music, sometimes working, good sometimes not. On the other hand, Raag also employs a few beautiful orchestral pieces, sparsely. Although I would have liked to see them used more throughout the film, when they do occasionally play I admit it does seem to make what's on screen just that much more poignant. Raag also uses some ambient strings here and there, usually playing one booming note at a time, which i thought was interesting. He seems to have a keen sense for tonally offbeat direction, which I like. If he can tone down his want of flash (which I do not really like), I think he has some serious potential.

Although i would have preferred Klass to be a quieter picture, I still think this is a very very strong film. It is unquestionably a modern film, dealing with somewhat modern issues. Some certainly will - and have - call into question some of the plausibility of the film. For example, teacher's rarely seem to be present. My answer to their quarrel would be that such realist logic need not apply here. Whereas Van Sant's Elephant was shot as documentary, Klass is shot as parable. It's about why otherwise good kids can to unthinkable things. Typically, these kids are no more evil than those who pushed them over the edge to begin with. Klass does something that is not uncommon in pictures, by making its villains worthy scum. Given that this is about a school shooting, that is actually quite a bold move. Raag makes his bullies despicable, putting the audience in the uncomfortable position of wanting to see them punished, and handily. It's all about empathy.

Even teacher's have a hand in such cruelty. Klass includes a couple moments of subtle hostility by one teacher, as Joosep expresses the vanity of individuals defining themselves by label. This is a not so direct theme throughout the film in fact. The teenagers, of course, are covered in head to toe with their brand name clothes, and chide Joosep for not wearing such clothes, yet harass him for wearing brand name sneakers - shoes fit for someone cooler than he.

This is a very strong film from Raag. It is well acted by its leads. It contains flashes of greatness. The film works best when it sticks to its story. Raag gets carried away with his direction at times, but despite it the film still works very well. It is a thoughtful film. It can be painfully cruel, but such subject matter deserves cruelty. When Kaspar and Joosep make that fateful walk into the school, their expressions are not of anger, but of profound sadness, which I suspect is what most must be truly feeling. I found the last few moments of this film dreadfully sad. When the shots are silenced, the heavy presence of inevitability sets in with the contemplation of all which has just happened. Such weight should be felt on all our shoulders. We've all been bullied, bullies, or the conscientious middle man at some point in our lives. Klass is one Estonian export that classrooms all over the world could benefit from.

I've just finished watching this Estonian drama, and even though I've been warned about what I should expect, I never imagined what awaits for me. Believe me, I'm not a person who can be easily shocked - after hundreds and hundreds of movies I didn't think that something could bring me to this mental condition, but I'm sitting here, in front of monitor; my hand are shaking a little and I'm filled with so much rage and despair that I wanna cry. First of all, I should mention that I, myself, experienced something similar in my school years. Though, not to this extent, of course. Undoubtedly this is partly the reason why I feel like this. I recollect things that happened to myself and when I think about what could have've happened if some people from my past stepped just a little further in what they've been doing - it just makes me shiver. All words, reactions and events are so shockingly colourable that it's almost feels like you're inside characters' minds. Indifferent adults so messed up by life (be it cruel post-Soviet reality or personal issues) that it seems like they're living in some world of their own; and kids that desperately trying to understand what is going on around them - without hope and any help from anyone around. I've seen it all be my own eyes: mindless faces that don't understand you at all. I've heard all the words - sickening clichés that only make you feel worse. Sometimes the pressure is just to high and you brake up no matter how strong you are. Of course, there were other pretty frank movies concerning this matter - Larry Clarks' Kids - raw and passionate - or Gus Van Sant's Elephant - plain and intentionally protocolistyc - just to name a few. But none, none was so close to describe a reality of this kind of situation - Klass takes you so deeply in the heart of youth's desperation that it seems like you won't be able to see a daylight again.

It leaves you crying and thinking about what is happening to this crazy world. A powerful movie and it has nothing in common with "Elephant" because this one has nearly everything a good movie must have. Starting from the plot, actors playing and cameraman's work. And the music is wonderful-it's ideal for this kind of film. There are aggressive industrial melodies and they collide brilliantly with the tragic music like the one in the ending.

There are a lot of movies that leave you with the feeling that the "victim" in the film could have done something about his/her terrible situation. But here you feel that it's impossible to fight when you face total violence. You only have to fight for your honour and then you die being free. Of course, somebody can say that Joosep shouldn't have positioned himself as a cry-baby and could do something about that all. Well, I must say that all the people differ and good people not necessarily have to get used to the s**t around them. Something should be done with this world(I don't know what). The situation when you see only evil around you and you have no exit is terrifying and boys have got in that trap. Things like these happen everywhere in the world and that is what makes you lay crying after the movie-the feeling of this is shown very well here. 9 out of 10.

In the end, I must say that Estonia is deservedly a European country if they make such films and there are people who can look at the world from point like this. Unfortunately, we are still far from you. Everybody has problems like violence in schools and so on but still nobody can get rid of this. But if you throw light upon such problems,it's already a big step forward. When I say it all I don't mean America that makes violence a religion. I'm only speaking about Europe now.

Most of the spectators will look at the film and say something as: I've seen it before/I've guessed the ending/the work is imperfect!

But the main thing is the other. It is a real story about real people coming across real problems. The thrilling story about insatiable and cruel youth. The story that makes you tremble.

But it is not the story about teens' relation. The story tells about adults being deaf to the problems of youth. As the teacher made that saying "I have nothing else to tell you". The parents that can not believe or just understand the problems of their children and especially trust them. The movie is not just a cruel story. That is a warning to the adults: beware and make best to predict.

All of us will watch this, talk a bit and forget about the movie. I'd force all the adults to watch it. For them just to understand.

Almost every class in high school knows one: a lonely child that is being picked on by everyone. Unable to give proper resistance against the different kids in the class that one person becomes the victim of just about everything. Most of the time it ends up OK in the end, but sometimes it goes to a point of no return and then it ends in full flexed drama. This film is about such a drama.

Starting out at the point where a kid is picked out as being the one to pick on the events that happen happen in just the right pace. The film switches between fueling the fire and licking the wounds, and later between fueling the fire and planning the counter strike. It becomes impossible not to feel a certain level of sympathy for the guy, even though his actions are unforgivable. And that is why this film works well. Klass is a harsh message and I think it should be shown to all kids in high schools to show them the darkest sides of peer pressure and the effects of it on some people.

9 out of 10 difficult lessons