If anything, Falardeau most calls into question the world and the ways in which we are raising our children.

| Original Score: 3.5/4.0 | Sep 17, 2020

A quietly moving paean to education that pulls no punches in its portrayal of childhood trauma and resilience in the face of darkness.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 6, 2019

[Monsieur Lazhar] is a surprisingly charming, but sad, story of the sort of special mentor we're all lucky if we meet once in a lifetime.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 4, 2019

Thoughtful, intelligent, elegant, touching, warm and with some splendid dashes of humour. It almost made me forget myself, which is weird, as well as something of a novelty.

| Aug 31, 2018

It rarely diverges from the template, but it's a particularly modest, intelligent and moving film.

| Aug 30, 2018

[Philippe] Falardeau's unobtrusive direction, and the restrained performance of Fellag and the child actors, make this a powerful, unsentimental film that doesn't make you feel like you're hearing a lecture.

| Aug 30, 2018

lowly enveloping you in its pace, this is a film you never want to end.

| Sep 18, 2017

Guaranteed to have you reaching for the Kleenex.

| Original Score: A | Jun 2, 2013

Falardeau had the good fortune to work with a powerfully effective ensemble cast, and Martin Léon's minimalist ambient score helps set the mood for a satisfying story about the healing effect brief encounters can have on emotional scars.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 21, 2013

While it may not stand out from similar movies, Monsieur Lazhar is a sweet film with a simple story and remains engaging thanks in large part to Mohamed Fellag's charming performance.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Jan 15, 2013

Philippe Falardeau's direction is a model of the notion that less is more, and this film is a treat well worth savoring.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Jan 7, 2013

This is cinema at its most impactful.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Nov 22, 2012

By the time you realise how invested you are in this tale it is too late: Monsieur Lazhar has you. I consider myself a cinematic Chuck Norris, but this film had me blubbering like a baby.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Sep 27, 2012

While "Monsieur Lazhar" is a decent film, I wish it would have done more to stand out from other similar films.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 16, 2012

The film understands the complex bond between teachers and students, and how the classroom is a sacred space they share for a short time before moving on.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Sep 12, 2012

Thankfully, the impressive cast of child actors actually behave like children, not like miniature adults.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 7, 2012

Monsieur Lazhar is a film to cherish.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Sep 6, 2012

Monsieur Lazhar never pretends to be anything but a grown-up fable, and it's a captivating one.

| Sep 6, 2012

Phillipe Falardeau, who adapted the play into a screenplay, can't entirely paper over a few niggling loose ends, but overall this disturbing film is very effective indeed.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Sep 6, 2012

Lazhar is something of a puzzle, and much of the pleasure of Philippe Falardeau's film lies in the gradual unfolding of his reserved yet impulsive personality.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 6, 2012