I Didn't Call You a Skank, I Said You Acted Like A Skank

The Class
2008, dir. Laurent Cantet.
2 hours 8 minutes

At the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, the Palme D'Or winner was the French film The Class, and I have to be honest, I don't understand what the jury was thinking, because the film is one of the most derivative and cliched I've seen in a long time.

The Class is the story of a French teacher in an innercity Parisian school, who has a class full of delinquents who don't have much hope in life, yet show some promise. In the end some of them learn things, and a few don't make it. They talk back, he tries to reach them in other ways, etc etc etc. Honestly, I've seen this all before. It's equal parts Dangerous Minds, Stand and Deliver, and Dead Poets Society. Supposedly the difference is that this film is based on the autobiography of an actual teacher, and that actual teacher is cast as himself, but I didn't care, because he's no different than any other actor (maybe that's how he really is).

I found one aspect interesting, though it's fairly irrelevant to my views on the film; I am fluent in French, and I could understand without the subtitles everything the teacher said, and everything the other adults said, and most of what the students would say to the teacher or other adults in a one on one situation ... BUT, I could not understand one word of what the students were saying when they were in group situations, specifically in class.

The Class is nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar this year, and a lot of people seem to think it's great, but honestly, it was derivative crap, and putting a French aspect on something doesn't make it less crappy, it just makes it more annoying.

1 star.

Seen at the Bytowne on Saturday night with Steph, who hated it just as much.