Monsieur Lazhar12A

When a Montréal primary school teacher commits suicide one night after class, she is replaced by Bachir Lazhar, an Algerian immigrant. He finds the class deeply shaken by their teacher’s death, especially Simon, traumatised by his discovery of the body, and Alice, whose interpretation of the event provokes unforeseen revelations. As he helps the children heal, Lazhar must keep his own personal life tucked away: the fact that he is seeking political refuge in Quebec, and that he, like them, has suffered a terrible loss. Winner of the prize for Best Canadian Feature at the 2011 Toronto Film Festival, and nominated for the 2011 Best Foreign Language Oscar, this is a wonderfully affecting film, featuring an outstanding central performance.

The screening on Saturday 5 May (15.40) is a GFT Screen Salon event. This includes an illustrated introduction by a local film critic or academic, and a post-screening discussion in our café-bar.