Sydney Film Festival - Film Review - Monsieur Lazhar

Fellag as Monsieur Lazhar

French Canadian director, Philip Falardeau's Academy Award nominated film brings to the screen a story filled with compassion, empathy and humour but without falling into maudlin sentimentality. The storyline follows an Algerian refugee, Bachir Lazhar, who obtains a teaching post in a Montreal Primary School following the untimely death of one of the teachers by suicide which has left her class of children badly shaken. Lazhar has his own trauma to overcome through the loss of his family in Algeria during the internal war and his precarious situation as his refugee status is being reviewed by the Quebec Authorities. Two of his young charges, Alice and Simon who witnessed the death of their teacher are profoundly affected and Lazhar is drawn to assist them as far as possible while struggling with his own  tragedy. This is an uplifting film with many humourous points despite its sad premise and has been adapted very successfully from a one person stage play by Philip Falardeau. Of trivia interest, the lead actor, Fellag, actually works as a comedian in France and he is of Algerian origin.