Join the Washington DC Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, May 6th at 5:30 for Monsieur Lazhar at the Landmark E Street Cinema . Look for Eric wearing a gray shirt and blue jeans. in the theatre lobby about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.
In Montreal, an elementary school teacher dies abruptly. Having learned of the incident in the newspaper, Bachir Lazhar (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 an establishment in crisis, while going through his own personal tragedy. While the class goes through the healing process, and Bachir learns to better know this group of shaken but endearing kids, 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. Adapted from “Bachir Lazhar,” a play by Evelyne de la Cheneliere, Monsieur Lazhar depicts the encounter between two distant worlds and the power of self-expression. Using great sensitivity and humor, writer-director Philippe Falardeau follows a humble man who is ready to transcend his own loss in order to accompany children beyond the silence and taboo of death. An Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film.