La nouvelle femme

I really enjoyed exploring the context of this movie. When I just started watching, I could not get the storyline. As I continued, my feelings were moved deeply and I wanted to learn more about the director and her motivation behind this film. As I read articles and watched interviews, I felt a strong connection to the whole situation that influenced the creation of this film.

I've been professionally involved with the Montessori movement for more than 15 years now, and for me, this method has always been about love for humanity. Besides, I myself was a child who did not get appropriate support from the adults in my environment to face the challenges that I was going through, in terms of my health and getting socialised just as I was.

I am deeply thankful to Lea for creating this piece of art, which I am sure will touch many hearts around the world. Parents, teachers, adults who remain sensitive to the needs of children and their own, will definitely appreciate this movie.

Maria Montessori was an Italian doctor and teacher. She is the author of a special pedagogical system that bears her name and is used in many public and private schools around the world.

Maria Montessori entered the Sapienza University in 1890 to study natural sciences, and then to medical school. She was the first woman to do so (not without difficulty). She studied in an atmosphere of hostility, rejection from her classmates and teachers. It took strong nerves and a great desire to live and create to endure this.

Maria, like Ada Lovelace (the first female programmer, after whom the Ada programming language is named), like Alice Guy-Blaché (the first female screenwriter and director, whose film "La fée aux choux, ou la naissance des enfants" is considered the first fantasy film in the history of cinema), was a pioneer in her field, overcame gender barriers and made a significant contribution to the development of education, medicine, and science.

She gave birth to an illegitimate child and gave him to strangers to raise in order to continue her work and practice, taking into account the harsh morals of the past. She became an expert in working with special children. The basic principles of her work - the independence of the acting person, sensory learning, respect for the individual pace of development - coincide with today's ideas about the neuroplasticity of the brain. She was a hundred years ahead of her time.

The film talks about raising a child with love, but it means something else, namely: the necessary and sufficient focused attention to the child, joint action, fragmentation of tasks (into feasible fragments), consistency, gradualness, rhythm, timing. Any task, no matter to whom it is set, must be presented in an understandable language, on time, in suitable circumstances. And if it is voiced, then it is done, not abandoned halfway.

You definitely need to watch this film if your life, work or hobby is somehow connected with children, upbringing, education or sports training. If you practice and implement environmental management in your work. Study the influence of an enriched or depleted environment on a growing (and adult) organism. If you are interested in how mirror neurons work and how important it is to regularly do something together.

I absolutely loved this movie.

The two main actors -that play Maria Montessori and the mother of the child Tina- do such an amazing job, Oscar worthy in my opinion.

I loved getting to learn more abot the Montessori method, but I loved even more getting to know this brave woman and a feminist -she does not want to get married as she does not want to loose the relative freedom that she has and become a possession of her husband- in a time where men received all the praise, even when it was the woman who did most of the work. Maria Montessori did not even get paid for the method she developed at the institute of the man she was with before she got her own school.

Go see it you haven't yet!

I recently watched the film about Maria Montessori and found it to be both touching and inspiring. The movie does an excellent job of portraying Montessori's deep compassion and dedication to children, particularly those with developmental challenges. The heartfelt moments showing the transformative impact of her methods on children who had been marginalized by society were both moving and powerful.

However, while the film successfully conveys the emotional core of Montessori's work, it unfortunately places too much emphasis on her work with children with special needs. This focus, while important, risks reinforcing a common misconception: that Montessori education is primarily for children with developmental disabilities. This is a disservice to Montessori's broader vision, which was revolutionary precisely because it was designed to be a universal approach to education, applicable to all children regardless of their abilities or backgrounds.

The Montessori method is not a specialized program for children with special needs; it is a holistic educational philosophy that aims to nurture the potential of every child. It fosters independence, creativity, and a lifelong love of learning through hands-on, child-centered activities. By not delving deeper into how this pedagogy has been developed and applied universally, the film misses an important opportunity to educate a broader audience about the true essence and potential of Montessori education.

In a time when more parents and educators are seeking alternatives to traditional education systems, it's crucial to highlight that Montessori is not just a niche or remedial approach. It's a comprehensive educational philosophy that can and does serve children from all walks of life.

In conclusion, while the film is undoubtedly a beautiful tribute to Maria Montessori's legacy, it falls short in presenting the full scope of her work. It leaves viewers with a somewhat narrow perspective, potentially perpetuating misunderstandings about who the Montessori method is truly for. I would have loved to see more emphasis on the universal applicability of her educational philosophy, and how it continues to evolve and impact education systems worldwide.

My German friends took me to see this film when I was in Germany in April. As a Montessori nursery owner and directress, I thought this was a wonderful, very emotional film. It was really inspiring and needs to be seen in more countries around the world. I speak German so could understand the dialogue, but I would love my staff to watch it in England. So should all Montessori directors/directresses out there. Please could it be dubbed in English and shown around the world? It will give hope to parents with special needs children, will show the world how wonderful the Montessori method is and would inspire more budding practitioners to train and follow this method.

It really is a lovely, very moving film and more people should watch it. My husband watched it with me, he doesn't speak German, but he could get the gist of the film, but would have loved to watch it in English. I definitely recommend it.