Monsieur Lazhar

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Monsieur Lazhar

PG-13

Released Apr 13, 2012

1h 34m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

98%

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114 Reviews

86%

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25,000+ Ratings

A recent emigrant (Fellag) of Algeria takes over a Canadian classroom after a teacher's tragic death.

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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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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Stephen C

Success in 1 hour and 34 minutes!!!!!! Rated PG-13 for Brief Language, A Disturbing Image and Mature Thematic Material!!!!!!!!!!! In Canadian French and English versions with English subtitles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/08/25

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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

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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

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Audience Member

Great movie with lots of depth.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

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Audience Member

Touchant, très bien joué.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

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Audience Member

Wife and I completely enjoyed it!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

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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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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: Téléfilm Canada, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), micro_scope
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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