So I have been reading "The Class" (originally "Entre Les Murs" by Francois Bergaudeau translated by Linda Asher), which was made into a film that I have not had the chance to see yet.
I guess I appreciate the book, which is a frustratingly non-descriptive first-person account of a year in a failing French public middle school. The novel (based on actual experiences of the author, who also appears in the award-winning film) does not progress in any degree. If anything, the whole novel seems to have a static feeling with many repetitions of themes that go unresolved.
All-in-all a depressing window into the world of teaching. Great, thanks. Love the idea. When you read into the situations and interactions you feel the frustration the hopelessness and disconnect of the teacher and his students. There is also no sense of "save the impoverished children through education" story present in such films as: Dangerous Minds, Freedom Writers, Music of the Heart, and Precious. Precious based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire was a great film that is less about the educational system rather approaching many issues around poverty with a story that is undeniably fiction.
What baffles me, is when presented in movie form by Sony Classics and reviewed by imdb-ers, this film adaptation of "Entre les murs" is marketed the same way as these other movies, an inspirational teacher, the hero in a struggling system.
I found the point in the novel to be of the failures of the system. The teacher is still unable to relate to his students. He and the school struggle with discipline and do not make any ground. The repetitive nature of permanent suspensions, disciplinary issues, and impersonal descriptions of students only by the brand name labels on their clothes representing the disconnect.
So, I am intrigued to see how this is all represented in film form:
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