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To Be and to Have

Play trailer Poster for To Be and to Have 2003 1h 45m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
97% Tomatometer 59 Reviews 91% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
In rural France, schoolteacher Georges Lopez educates 12 children, whose ages range from 4 to 11 years old. Over the course of a year, the soon-to-retire Lopez instructs them all in one small classroom with the traditional tools of French teaching: rote repetition and the dictation of literary passages for copying. As the seasons pass, Lopez must keep his students disciplined while preparing the older children for the exams that will determine their educational future.
To Be and to Have

What to Know

Critics Consensus

A small, sensitive, and moving portrait of a teacher and his students.

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Critics Reviews

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Noel Murray The Dissolve 09/22/2014
5/5
The beauty of To Be And To Have is that Lopez's loss isn't the audience's. This movie is a portal, leading to a living museum of childhood. Go to Full Review
Nick Schager Lessons of Darkness 05/04/2005
A-
The most unvarnished cinematic portrait of childhood I've ever seen. Go to Full Review
Peter Rainer New York Magazine/Vulture 08/07/2004
It demonstrates without overreaching what an actual teacher can do to shape lives. Go to Full Review
Farah Cheded A Good Movie To Watch 08/04/2023
9/10
This doc shares the instinctive empathy its chief subject has for his pupils and, accordingly, shoots them quite simply, trusting that the high drama of their little lives is enough to sustain the film. And it is. Go to Full Review
James Verniere Boston Herald 07/16/2005
3.5/4
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Audience Reviews

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Olivia T Feb 20 This movie, filmed in the region where I was born and spent my early childhood, beautifully depicts rural isolation and childhood. The viewer walks away from this documentary with a deep admiration for the schoolteacher, who dedicated so much time and held so much love for his students. See more 04/05/2017 Subtitles throughout, as this is all in French, To Be and To Have would be a great teacher for teachers of kindergarten and first grade teachers. The man teaches with love. I personally found it fairly boring until the end. When the kids are done for the year, the oldest are leaving to middle school for good, their love of their teacher is palpable. Brought tears to my eyes in fact. Just plan on it moving rather slowly and having an inside look at the day to day issues involved with kiddos at a very small school in France. This is more of an educational film, not so much entertaining, that's why I give only 3.5 stars. If it were what I was seeking, it would have gotten 5 stars. It wasn't all that entertaining to me though. I can see how mothers would appreciate it a lot more than I did. See more filippo v 03/02/2017 Sono del parere che non basta mostrare scene di vita quotidiana per avere un'opera ricca di significato emotivo. In questo film documentario ci vengono descritte le vite scolastiche di una serie di alunni, la dura vita dell'insegnante e il suo arduo compito di indirizzarli verso la giusta direzione. Solo in rare parti riusciamo ad avere una sorta di coinvolgimento, grazie a scene nostalgiche e situazioni che mostrano la pura innocenza dei bambini. Oltre a questo, quest'opera rimane troppo lunga e, sotto il mio punto di vista, priva di un messaggio così profondo come vorrebbe. See more 04/15/2014 A dazzlingly sweet, calming, and surprisingly unpretentious production on a French classroom - it perfectly documents the emotions of those within this community, and makes a great case of showing just how important teachers are in this world. See more 04/07/2014 Its a moving documentary of one year in the life of the children in southern France. Aspiring teachers should see this because it will not only touch and move you, but it will make you rethink how one should approach education --with patience, kindness, and a will to see your pupils succeed. Through Msr. Lopez, these children mature and learn and in the process bond with one another as well as their teacher. Truly quite marvelous and heartwarming. See more 12/23/2013 The most glorious French film with subtitles. Do watch it. See more Read all reviews
To Be and to Have

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Movie Info

Synopsis In rural France, schoolteacher Georges Lopez educates 12 children, whose ages range from 4 to 11 years old. Over the course of a year, the soon-to-retire Lopez instructs them all in one small classroom with the traditional tools of French teaching: rote repetition and the dictation of literary passages for copying. As the seasons pass, Lopez must keep his students disciplined while preparing the older children for the exams that will determine their educational future.
Director
Nicolas Philibert
Producer
Gilles Sandoz
Distributor
New Yorker Films
Production Co
Canal Plus Image International
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
Canadian French
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 5, 2003, Wide
Release Date (DVD)
May 1, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA)
$775.6K
Runtime
1h 45m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby A