A one-room school in rural France is the setting for this documentary made by Nicolas Philibert. He travelled through the countryside for months trying to find the perfect location to show the hard work that is done in these schools and the importance for their communities.
Georges Lopez is the teacher at this school, where the class is very small (around 10-15 children) and both old and young children share the classroom. Lopez comes across as a very wise and calm teacher, who really takes his time teaching the children everything they need to know before they move on to bigger schools. Philibert doesn’t only show the school, but also it’s surroundings and doesn’t add any voiceovers. He shows everything as it is and only does one interview with Lopez which allows to the viewer to know a bit more about him. He also captured some very personal moments where the kids talk about issues they are having (with their parents or with how they deal with an issue), but keeps the camera rolling without interfering.
The real stars of this documentary are the children though. My favorite was JoJo who doesn’t always pay attention (he’s easily distracted) and who has some very funny scenes. Être et avoir shows the importance of these small schools and I wish that every school had such a close connection with its community. This documentary really is a feel good movie, which entertains and inspires.
Score: 8
Trailer:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S49qvE86Qs0&feature=related]