The last film in the 2011-12 season of Fringe Flicks is an exploration of how adults speak to children about issues they’d rather not confront themselves.
Philippe Falardeau’s Monsieur Lazhar is an adaptation of Evelyne de la Chenelière’s play, a powerful and sensitive story of love, grief, and the journey to adolescence.
One of Quebec’s finest young filmmakers returns to Canada’s top 10 with a luminous and heartbreaking exploration of how adults speak to children about adult issues.
When an elementary school teacher commits suicide, her class and the entire community is shaken to the core. No one wants to talk about it save her replacement, Lazhar, an Algerian immigrant seeking political asylum.
As the film proceeds and it becomes painfully clear the children cannot move on without addressing why the teacher took her own life, Lazhar takes risks he’s already been cautioned against in a bid to help his young charges.
Monsieur Lazhar screens at Avalon Cinema at Woodgrove Centre, April 1 at 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., and April 2 at 7 p.m.
Single tickets are $12. Order by phone at 250-754-7587, online at www.theatreone.org/fringeFlicks.html, and at the door one hour prior to showtimes.
