This doc shares the instinctive empathy its chief subject has for his pupils and, accordingly, shoots them quite simply, trusting that the high drama of their little lives is enough to sustain the film. And it is.

| Original Score: 9/10 | Aug 4, 2023

The beauty of To Be And To Have is that Lopez's loss isn't the audience's. This movie is a portal, leading to a living museum of childhood.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Sep 22, 2014

| Original Score: 4/5 | Dec 30, 2006

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jul 16, 2005

The most unvarnished cinematic portrait of childhood I've ever seen.

| Original Score: A- | May 4, 2005

It demonstrates without overreaching what an actual teacher can do to shape lives.

Full Review | Aug 7, 2004

One of those rare movies that works as a humbling experience.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Jun 4, 2004

This is a film that all aspiring teachers should see, as well as veteran teachers who might have lost track of what teaching is all about.

| Original Score: A | May 4, 2004

As touching as Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939), this is an excellent companion to Spellbound, another beguiling documentary about children.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 20, 2004

The American school system would do well to take a page from Mr. Lopez's slow-but-steady curriculum.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Mar 10, 2004

It isn't just an ode to teaching -- it's a lesson in growing up.

Full Review | Original Score: A- | Feb 13, 2004

Auditing a class has never been more fun.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 13, 2004

More often than not you may find yourself unexpectedly smiling.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Feb 2, 2004

A counterintuitive film about a small schoolhouse in rural France, To Be and to Have gets its punch from simple scenes and conversations.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 30, 2004

| Original Score: 4/4 | Jan 24, 2004

To Be and to Have is a movie every teacher should see, and every parent, too.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jan 23, 2004

At times, it feels as stultifying as watching paint dry, without the recompense of sniffing fumes.

| Original Score: 1.5/4 | Jan 23, 2004

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jan 18, 2004

(Lopez's) teaching is simply one of the purest expressions of love I've ever seen on film.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Jan 15, 2004

Philibert unobtrusively captures the priceless looks of concentration and confusion that come from a total unawareness of the camera's presence.

| Jan 9, 2004