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For a Hollywood blockbuster-oriented movie fan, I’ve seen quite a few French movies lately. And I liked all of them tremendously. The French seem to be the absolute experts on “feel-good” right now, with the delightful “Le Fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain” for instance, or “Le Peuple migrateur”, a great documentary about migrating birds. So when my friend Elsbeth suggested we should see this film, I was easily convinced.
Although this is again an altogether different film, it has the same charme as the ones mentioned above. “Être et avoir” is a documentary about a single-classroom school somewhere in the middle of nowhere in rural France. It follows the lives of the teacher and his pupils over a period of one year. That’s it. No storyline to speak of, nothing exciting, just kids and their teacher. This might seem very boring, but it isn’t. It’s nice to see a movie like this that reminds you of the simple things in life. No car chases, explosions or anything, and none needed. The kids are really sweet, and it’s clear that Georges Lopez is a dedicated teacher who loves them and loves the job.
The movie is a bit slow at times, with shots that last for minutes, but it’s nowhere near as ‘tranquilizing’ as “Le Peuple migrateur”. If you can stand a slow film, go see it. You’ll end up loving the ‘cast’ for sure.
Rated **** (out of 5).
Roy (114 posts)Web designer and programmer, movie fanatic and devoted dad from Huizen, The Netherlands.
8 Comments
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You never take my advice regarding French movies, but you do trust Elsbeth’s judgment.
This films moves a notch up on my ‘to see’ list.
Comment by reisneus — Sat July 26, 2003 @ 12:21Hehehe Peuple migrateur wasn’t “tranquilizing” it was coma-inducing
But great fun nonetheless!
Comment by punkmachine — Tue July 29, 2003 @ 10:59Well you woke from that coma pretty quick then didn’t you
Anyway, it must’ve been the right pace for the 70-year-old-by-average audience that crowded the Hilversum film theatre that night 
Comment by weefselkweekje — Tue July 29, 2003 @ 11:21Yup so I did. But mind you, it has taken me years of sleeping-in-the-cinema training to be able to pull such a feat. Maybe I should start a section on popcorn with the name: films I slept through
Comment by punkmachine — Tue July 29, 2003 @ 15:54Yeah, but you do sleep through the best of movies as well, so whether you fell asleep or not is not really relevant in establishing the movie’s quality
Comment by weefselkweekje — Tue July 29, 2003 @ 16:56It sure is! The better the movie the better I sleep
Comment by punkmachine — Wed July 30, 2003 @ 15:04Those kids are A D O R A B L E. It must have taken ages to get the kids to feel this familiar about having a camera pointed at them. But it certainly paid off.
Comment by reisneus — Thu May 6, 2004 @ 16:12I had to get used to the slow tempo at first, but once I did and the delightful kiddies grew on me, I loved it. How valuable the individual attention is that the kids get from their teacher in this small class! Really touching.
Comment by suzero — Wed April 20, 2005 @ 21:16