Monsieur Lazhar

Simon discovers that a teacher has hung herself in the classroom. Bachir Lazhar, 55, Algerian immigrant is the substitute teacher. The class goes through the healing process. Simon discovers that the popular teacher Martine has hung herself in the classroom. Having learned of the incident in the newspaper, Bachir Lazhar (Mohamed Fellag), a 55-year-old Algerian immigrant, goes to the school to offer his services as a substitute teacher. Quickly hired to replace the deceased, he finds himself in a school in crisis, while going through his own personal tragedy. Little by little, Bachir gets to know the group of shaken but endearing kids, among them Simon and Alice, two charismatic pupils particularly affected by their teacher's death. While the class goes through the healing process, nobody in the school is aware of Bachir's painful past, nor do they suspect that he is at risk of being deported at any moment.

Keywords

  • Arthouse
  • Screen: Canada
  • Childhood
  • cinema
  • education
  • immigration
  • middle east
  • migration
  • mourning
  • psychology
  • religion
  • school
  • teen
  • work

Actors

  • Mohamed Fellag
  • Sophie Nélisse
  • Émilien Néron
  • Marie-Ève Beauregard
  • Danielle Proulx

Director

  • Philippe Falardeau

Drama


1h 34min


12 FSK

FR


DE

Canada
2011
Simon discovers that a teacher has hung herself in the classroom. Bachir Lazhar, 55, Algerian immigrant is the substitute teacher. The class goes through the healing process.

Simon discovers that a teacher has hung herself in the classroom. Bachir Lazhar, 55, Algerian immigrant is the substitute teacher. The class goes through the healing process.


Simon discovers that the popular teacher Martine has hung herself in the classroom. Having learned of the incident in the newspaper, Bachir Lazhar (Mohamed Fellag), a 55-year-old Algerian immigrant, goes to the school to offer his services as a substitute teacher. Quickly hired to replace the deceased, he finds himself in a school in crisis, while going through his own personal tragedy. Little by little, Bachir gets to know the group of shaken but endearing kids, among them Simon and Alice, two charismatic pupils particularly affected by their teacher's death. While the class goes through the healing process, nobody in the school is aware of Bachir's painful past, nor do they suspect that he is at risk of being deported at any moment.

Festivals

Cast & Crew