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Monsieur Lazhar

Play trailer Poster for Monsieur Lazhar PG-13 Released Apr 13, 2012 1h 34m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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98% Tomatometer 115 Reviews 86% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
A recent emigrant (Fellag) of Algeria takes over a Canadian classroom after a teacher's tragic death.
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Monsieur Lazhar

Monsieur Lazhar

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Critics Consensus

Monsieur Lahzar is a tender and thoughtful portrait of a man with hidden grief and also a compelling exploration of the teacher-student dynamic.

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Critics Reviews

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Deborah Ross The Spectator Thoughtful, intelligent, elegant, touching, warm and with some splendid dashes of humour. It almost made me forget myself, which is weird, as well as something of a novelty. Aug 31, 2018 Full Review David Stratton At the Movies (Australia) Phillipe Falardeau, who adapted the play into a screenplay, can't entirely paper over a few niggling loose ends, but overall this disturbing film is very effective indeed. Rated: 3.5/5 Sep 6, 2012 Full Review Jake Wilson The Age (Australia) Lazhar is something of a puzzle, and much of the pleasure of Philippe Falardeau's film lies in the gradual unfolding of his reserved yet impulsive personality. Rated: 3/5 Sep 6, 2012 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com If anything, Falardeau most calls into question the world and the ways in which we are raising our children. Rated: 3.5/4.0 Sep 17, 2020 Full Review Mattie Lucas From the Front Row A quietly moving paean to education that pulls no punches in its portrayal of childhood trauma and resilience in the face of darkness. Rated: 3/4 Aug 6, 2019 Full Review Kelly Jane Torrance Washington Examiner [Monsieur Lazhar] is a surprisingly charming, but sad, story of the sort of special mentor we're all lucky if we meet once in a lifetime. Rated: 3/4 Jan 4, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Andrea C Film estremamente delicato nel trattare tutti i temi toccati, senza eccezioni. Il suicidio di un'insegnante proprio in un'aula scolastica, la reazione dei diversi alunni e la storia tragica di un uomo che si finge insegnante; tutto calza a pennello, i dialoghi sono poco pretenziosi e per questo molto reali, non ci sono eroi dai grandi discorsi motivazionali o personaggi dalle reazioni esagerate. Considerando la drammaticità del tema, è quasi impensabile che l'unico assolo di tristezza e disperazione sia quello di un bambino quasi alla fine di tutto. I sentimenti del protagonista vengono esposti quasi solamente dalla narrazione delle poesie; con eleganza assoluta, si vorrebbe entrare più nel profondo e vedere la continuazione, ma la realtà dell'albero morto raccontato proprio dal protagonista suona benissimo come spiegazione totale. Emozionante nella sua semplicità; un esempio di come non ci sia bisogno di esagerazioni per colpire il cuore. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/13/23 Full Review dave s Monsieur Lazhar, a Quebecois film set in Montreal, tackles the difficult subjects of suicide, loss and coping with unimaginable tragedy. When a pair of elementary school students find their teacher dead from suicide in the classroom, they are devastated, lacking any semblance of the tools required to deal with the horror of their discovery. When an Algerian refugee, dealing with significant trauma of his own, takes over teaching duties in the classroom, both the students and the teacher begin to find healing and closure. Beautifully directed by Philippe Falardeau, it is an intelligent and touching film that never exploits the emotions of the children or the desperation of the protagonist. A young Sophie Nelisse, in her screen debut, provides a remarkable performance as Alice, one of the children who finds the teacher's body. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Great movie with lots of depth. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Touchant, très bien joué. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member Wife and I completely enjoyed it! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member A fine piece by Canadian film Industry. Gentle touch of reality through a fiction tale. Remarkable direction and rhythm. Just a little bit more of dramaturgy to be an astonish movie. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/03/20 Full Review Read all reviews
Monsieur Lazhar

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Cast & Crew

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Philippe Falardeau

Director

Mohamed Fellag

Bachir Lazhar

Sophie Nélisse

Alice

Émilien Néron

Simon

Danielle Proulx

Mme Vaillancourt

Brigitte Poupart

Claire Lajoie

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Monsieur Lazhar

Monsieur Lazhar (2011) Monsieur Lazhar (2011) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A recent emigrant (Fellag) of Algeria takes over a Canadian classroom after a teacher's tragic death.
Director
Philippe Falardeau
Producer
Luc Déry, Kim McCraw
Screenwriter
Philippe Falardeau
Distributor
Music Box Films
Production Co
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), micro_scope, Téléfilm Canada
Rating
PG-13 (Brief Language|A Disturbing Image|Mature Thematic Material)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Canadian French
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 13, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 25, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$2.0M
Runtime
1h 34m
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