Review by mercywright

"Entre les murs" (2008, France) wins prizes at Cannes, and is nominated for a Foreign Language Oscar while not much is heard about the very similar movie, "Les Bureaux de Dieu" (2008, also France). Both films use similar techniques - assigning documentary dialogues to non-actors, and the effect is amazing. You don't know if you're watching a documentary or a feature film! Both movies seems like documentaries, since no rosy solutions are provided to the dramatic problems the teachers/social workers have to deal with. Both films are very talky, with no escape outside the confinement of class room/social services office, but the stories and conflicts presented here are so fascinating, you willingly stay with both films to the end.