In the tidiest pitch-speak, it's the Dardennes do Degrassi, a convincingly intimate glimpse at the epic battle waged against apathy in schools the world over.
Comment
12/17/09
Rate this Movie 
The Class (2008)
97
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work
Reviews Counted:137
Fresh:133
Rotten:4
Average Rating:8/10
Consensus: Energetic and bright, this hybrid of documentary style and dramatic plotting looks at the present and future of France through the interactions of a teacher and his students in an inner city high school.
Theatrical Release:Dec 19, 2008 Limited
Box Office: $3,642,327
Synopsis: Winner of the Palme d'Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, master French director Laurent Cantet's THE CLASS is an absorbing journey into a multicultural high school in Paris over the course of a... [More]
Starring: François Begaudeau, Nassim Amrabt, Laura Baquela, Cherif Bounaidja Rachedi
Director: Laurent Cantet
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Buy DVD
Reviews for The Class
The Class has considerable urgency and growing humor
08/26/09
creates dramatic energy without a tightly delineated storyline
08/25/09
But ultimately it's a fascinating, sometimes exhilarating movie that seems to make a genuine contact with the classroom, and shows us an educational system struggling, and managing, to survive.
08/23/09
Top CriticA great achievement in cinematic realism...when conflict arises, and it frequently does, the filmmakers refuse to instruct us on who's right and who's wrong, making the film its own kind of Socratic lecture. [Blu-ray]
08/12/09
Un film tan realista que parece un documental ficcionado, y que se beneficia de la naturalidad de sus "actores". No es un film dramático tradicional, es más bien una reflexión sobre el sistema educativo y los vínculos dentro del salón de clase.
08/09/09
Cantet's film lulls the spectator into the rhythms of the everyday reality of school, belying a very carefully coordinated narrative structure that only becomes apparent in its final act.
08/08/09
The most authentic and honest film about high school students and teachers to date.
08/02/09
An astonishing achievement for writer-actor François Bégaudeau who adapted his own book for the screenplay and also stars in this absorbing film about the challenges of teaching in a public school.
05/01/09
One of the best school pics ever made.
04/23/09
Click to read the article
04/23/09
A tonic to the Hollywood teacher movie.
04/14/09
...this doesn't fall into the easy cliches of the teacher at the bad school miraculously winning over the kids.
04/10/09
...so low key and naturalistically realized that it could easily be mistaken for a documentary
04/10/09
What sets The Class apart isn't simply its less-than-cozy tone, but the fact that it constantly plays against our expectations.
04/02/09
A piercing look at a generation gap that only seems to be gaping ever more widely.
03/31/09
Aposta na ambigüidade e na sensação de estarmos acompanhando os fatos à medida que estes se desenrolam num ambiente de improviso que sempre valoriza o acaso.
03/22/09
So truthful and engaging that you feel part of the class, sitting at a desk in the room as the events slowly unfold.
03/21/09
Every student has some potential, we see, which is why it's so heartbreaking to see them caught in the gears of a public education system that's doing its best, but hampered by limited resources and an institutional mind-set.
03/20/09
The Class offers a compelling and naturalistic look at contemporary teaching and the challenges of a diverse classroom. The film eschews big Hollywood moments and instead goes for quiet telling ones.
03/17/09
Latest News for The Class
August 10, 2009:
RT on DVD: A Sweet I Love You, Man Deleted Scene, Zooey Deschanel's Latest, and More
You're in for some sweet, sweet movie watching this week, starting with the latest in bromantic comedies (I Love You, Man, starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel). Those with a High... More...
May 24, 2009:
Cannes 2009: The Tomato Report - Critics Pick Their Awards Favourites
With the Cannes Film Festival winding down this weekend, talk is now turning to who will win the Palme d'Or this evening. We tracked down several journalists covering the fest... More...
January 13, 2009:
Academy Names Nine Foreign Film Finalists
The Academy has narrowed its choices for this year's recipient of the Best Foreign Language Film Award, choosing its favorite nine releases from a field of 65. More...
December 09, 2008:
L.A. Critics Love WALL-E, The Dark Knight
The 34th annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, held January 12, honored Manoel de Oliveira -- as well as a number of outstanding films and filmmakers, all listed... More...
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
Best Dozen of the Decade 
Last week, MSN gave us their top 09 films. Now see what their favorites of the decade are!
Top 50 of 2009
Here's a list of the 50 best movies of 2009, according to the good people over at Moviefone.
Santa's Naughty List
Hollywood.com takes a stab at determining who in movies will be on Santa's naughty list in 2009.
Top 10 Movies of 2009
TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.
Top 20 of the Decade
Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
RSS Feeds