MONSIEUR LAZHAR

Director: Phillippe Falardeau | Canada | 2011 | 94 mins | Cert: 12A

Starring: Mohamed Fellag, Sophie Nélisse, Émilien Néron, Brigitte Poupart, Danielle Proulx

Language: French

After a Montreal elementary school teacher commits suicide one night after class, she is replaced by Bachir Lazhar (Fellag), an Algerian immigrant seeking political refuge in Quebec. As Lazhar introduces traditional teaching methods to his new class, he begins to develop close relationships with two of his pupils: a boy traumatized by his discovery of the former teacher’s body, and a girl whose interpretation of the event provokes unforeseen revelations. Produced by the team behind the Academy Award-nominated Incendies and directed by veteran filmmaker Philippe Falardeau, Monsieur Lazhar is one of the most acclaimed Québécois films of the last decade and Canada’s submission for the 2011 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. – Toronto International Film Festival 2012

Read The Irish Times review. *****

Read The Guardian review. ****

Read The New York Times review. Critics’ Pick