SummaryMonsieur Lazhar tells the story of a Montreal middle school class shaken by the death of their well-liked teacher. Bachir Lazhar, a 55-year-old Algerian immigrant, offers the school his services as a substitute teacher and is quickly hired. As he helps the children heal, he also learns to accept his own painful past. (Music Box Films)
Directed By:Philippe Falardeau
Written By:Philippe Falardeau, Evelyne de la Chenelière
Monsieur Lazhar
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
82
User score
Generally Favorable
7.7
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
94% Positive
29 Reviews
29 Reviews
6% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
May 3, 2012
100
Monsieur Lazhar resembles a clear, clean glass of water: transparent, utterly devoid of gratuitous flavorings or frou-frou, and all the more bracing and essential for it.
Apr 16, 2012
90
Fellag, a comedian and himself an exile from Algeria, makes Lazhar both a sensitive and an amusing figure. And the kids are just terrific, especially Emilien Neron as a boy who carries the guilt of the whole school on his shoulders.
User score
Generally Favorable
84% Positive
38 Ratings
38 Ratings
11% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
4% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
Apr 25, 2012
10
A remarkably engrossing film on a number of levels. Set in a primary school in Quebec (Francophone) its characters are remarkably well-drawn whether they be students, teachers, or administrators. The psychological, political, and moral questions that arise because of a particular event in the school are handled with force but also tact. The performances and cinematography are superb.
Apr 25, 2012
88
One of the qualities of Monsieur Lazhar is that it has no simple questions and simple answers. Its purpose is to present us with a situation, explore the people involved and show us a man who is dealing with his own deep hurts.
Apr 13, 2012
83
There are wonderful sequences strewn throughout, like the moment when Lazhar, at a school dance, begins to slowly sway to the music as if in a trance.
Apr 13, 2012
80
Artfully put together by writer-director Falardeau, Monsieur Lazhar shows us life in the round, illustrating the way humor, compassion and tragedy can all be elements of experience. Its emotional honesty is heartening, a lesson we are never too old to learn.
Apr 13, 2012
75
An understated story of coping with emotional blows that offers a compelling portrait of a decent man.
Apr 9, 2012
50
The movie is so discreet and respectful that, outside the classroom, within whose walls the glory of French literature and language triumph, it never quite comes to life. [16 April 2012, p. 86]
Oct 7, 2022
8
É estranho olhar essa obra e perceber como ela aborda temas sérios de uma forma tão leve e genuína, onde a dor a perda são mostrada uma forma, digamos assim, " aceitável '' fugindo de toda sua morbidez solitária, sem brilho, dando lugar uma singela, e bonita história de tom poético, que passa muito bem sua belíssima mensagem.
Apr 17, 2012
8
A deeply touching movie about loss, guilt and uprooting, it manages to address complex issues with elegance and subtlety, while avoiding the trap of sentimentality. The young actors are uniformly good and believable, and Falardeau's skillful and delicate direction fits remarkably well the tone and subject of its film. A work of great intelligence from one of Quebec most important director.
Aug 2, 2016
6
A well-meaning, yet frustratingly modest study of grief and the appropriate methods for educating youths, "Monsieur Lazhar" is produced with careful hands, but written with sparse moments of catharsis throughout. The performances are quite impressive and the thematics are certainly consistent, but, again, a little "too little too late" for my tastes.
Production Company:
- Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
- Téléfilm Canada
- micro_scope
Release Date:Apr 13, 2012
Duration:1 h 34 m
Rating:PG-13
Website:
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
Jutra Awards
• 8 Wins & 10 Nominations
Genie Awards
• 6 Wins & 9 Nominations
