Monsieur Lazhar is nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 2012 Academy Awards.

Produced by the team that brought Incendies to the screen last year, this Quebecois film by director Philippe Falardeau is a funny, authentic story about what we say when we talk to each other about death. Algerian political refugee Bashir Lazhar (Mohamed Fellag) contacts a Montreal elementary school when he reads in the newspaper that one of their teachers has committed suicide at the school. Desperate for work, he offers to fill in in the classroom, and the overwhelmed principal agrees. The story focuses on Lazhar’s struggle with the often-absurd Quebec education system, and his connection with two of the students, former friends who have been deeply affected by their teacher’s death.

Join the 2012 Reel Time Facebook Group!
Get inside info on film picks, chat with fellow film-lovers, and bid on prizes and tickets.