There are not many scenes in the film, most of them are closed interior scenes, and there are several pictures of small playgrounds, so the space that can be displayed is limited. In such a limited space, a young group - a group of students as a miniature sample of a complex society, in the continuous self-expression and interaction with others, shows the various problems and society in the current post-immigrant era in France. figurative.
From the very beginning of the film, the students showed their disrespect, arrogance, disregard for order, and disregard for school rules. The situation is embarrassing, and it can be clearly felt that the starting point is the teacher-student relationship and the teacher-student conflict between the disobedient students and their teachers. This conflict is a reality that all films about the educational system deal with. Kumba, who does not apologize to the teacher, Laba, who is used to interjecting in class, and Bubaka, who bluntly said that the teacher "doesn't understand"... Most of the students expressed their release, while the teacher showed a kind of humility and tolerance. But in fact, we all know that in school, the teacher is the one who has control. The authority of the school can allow occasional provocation, but never allow the challenge of the bottom line. This kind of conflict between teachers and students due to different positions is always endless.
In the scene about whether to release African students Suleiman, the director's thoughts on the education system are also revealed - how to deal with problem students, punish or guide them? Given that discipline is both a powerful means of removing dissonance and protecting a desired situation, in reality, many teachers will ruthlessly choose discipline. Including the performance in the film, Mr. Malan, who advocates encouragement, also joined the queue to expel Suleiman at the end. The purpose of human education is to inherit civilization in the long run, but for a person's life, it is more like to adapt to the needs of society in the future, so as to survive. This is also to eliminate individuality to obtain commonality, just like when doing the final product inspection, no one wants to become a substandard product even if they are reluctant, but in that period of rebelliousness that is neither long nor short , humans still have a natural sense of confrontation, even in vain.
In addition to the explicit and implicit conflict in education, it also reflects the increasingly serious immigration problem and racial divide in France in recent years. In a small classroom, there are generally selfish and loose white people, stubborn and rebellious black people, and shy and autistic yellow people. The doubt and embarrassment of the immigrant generation towards the so-called French identity made them express this doubt and embarrassment directly. Including those that are explicitly expressed as teacher-student conflict: choking the teacher with words, taking advantage of the topic to play at every opportunity, expressing strong dissatisfaction with the teacher who always uses white names such as "Bill" in sentences. Another example is expressing the love for one's motherland with the favorite football stars and national teams, and even attacking each other with the factors of regional discrimination, calling them "dirty pigs of Antilles" and "dirty pigs of Mali". There is also a scene in which the meeting between the head teacher and the parents is quite subtle and interesting to create an interaction that spans ethnic groups and cultures. In the dialogue between Malan and the parents of students from different countries, there are subtle and finishing touches. of multicultural differences. There is no strong confrontation, only peaceful expressions, but the communication effect behind such short and different backgrounds is limited, and cultural differences and racial barriers cannot be eliminated. For example, Suleiman’s mother only knew Mali. If he needs to translate, Suleiman's brother is needed. Such embarrassment is the result of cultural conflict.
If educational conflicts and cultural conflicts are still relatively dominant conflicts with competing forces, then the conflicts and expressions of personal thoughts and personal thoughts can be said to be truly invisible and essential. The film's director and cinematographer Lauren Conté's philosophy is: "To express the situation and feelings of individuals in a complex world, and to explore how individuals view the real world.". In the noisy classrooms, and in the collective discussions of the teachers, the audience can see that the students who are in their puberty are dissatisfied with their own thinking and reality, and through all kinds of resentment they have induced various kind of speech. Adolescence has a "privilege" that does not have to be bought, that is, you can express your intolerance freely without feeling inappropriate or embarrassed. Just as Malan asked everyone to tell their "sorry" in class, few people really felt this emotion. Near the end of the film, after the last class before the holiday, when the students were leaving one after another, a black girl staggered forward and told Malan sadly that she had not learned anything. After Malan's enlightenment, she was still confused. Repeat "but I didn't learn anything", "don't want to go to college". For life and the future, most of us are confused and overwhelmed. In such a country with a culturally diverse environment and inclusiveness, personal understandings emerge clearly. True contradictions and conflicts arise from individuals, not circumstances.
(Partial citations, intrusive deletions)
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