TO BE AND TO HAVE
Directed by: Nicolas Philibert.
Produced by: Serge Lalou & Gillers Sandoz.
Director of Photography: Laurent Didier et al.
Edited by: Philibert.
Music by: Philippe Hersant.
Released by: New Yorker.
Country of Origin: France. 104 min. Not Rated.

An illuminating documentary that's a breath of fresh air. With its smooth camera work (there's very little hand-held shots) and largely uninterrupted single-shot scenes, director Philibert captures more than just a glimpse of a rural one-room school in central France. Georges Lopez is the only teacher of 13 students, half in preschool, the other half soon to be entering middle school. There's an instant nostalgic pull at the sight of two small school children holding hands through the snow. Yet, Philibert lucidly documents the problems within the classroom: preschooler Jojo is too easily distracted; Olivier has trouble multiplying (no matter how many slaps to the head from his mother he receives); and the painfully shy Nathalie can hardly communicate. To Be captures all too well the turmoil of growing up. Although the camera is part of the classroom, and the children are at times aware of its presence, they are so uninhibited that just reading their expressions make subtitles unnecessary. What is even more remarkable is the patience and consideration of Lopez, a possible candidate for canonization. He has taught for 35 years, including 20 at this school. The film is a reminder that teaching is an act of improvisation, and Lopez is a master of it by facing whatever problem comes along, whether he is reprimanding a bully or enforcing a promise from Jojo to finish his artwork. Among the many heartbreaking moments: Lopez comforting a boy whose father has cancer; and perhaps the most moving, his interaction with Nathalie. As touching as Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939), this is an excellent companion to Spellbound, another beguiling documentary about children. KT
October 14, 2003