It All Starts Today

1999 [FRENCH]

Action / Drama

4
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 78% · 16 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 78% · 500 ratings
IMDb Rating 7.4/10 10 3095 3.1K

teacher

Plot summary

In a mining town which has been blighted by economic downturns, an elementary school headmaster struggles to obtain social services on behalf of his students.

Director

Bertrand Tavernier Photo
Bertrand Tavernier

Top cast

Nadia Kaci Photo
Nadia Kaci as Samia Damouni
Michelle Goddet Photo
Michelle Goddet as Beaten child's mother
Stefan Elbaum Photo
Stefan Elbaum as Beaten child's uncle
Philippe Torreton Photo
Philippe Torreton as Daniel Lefebvre
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
1.06 GB
1280*544
French 2.0
NR
Subtitles us   cn   fr   de  
24 fps
1 hr 58 min
Seeds 1
1.97 GB
1920*816
French 2.0
NR
Subtitles us   cn   fr   de  
24 fps
1 hr 58 min
Seeds 2

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by lastliberal 8 / 10

So we throw half in the trash, and see what we can do with the others?

It always happens. When things get tough, local, State, and the federal government save money on the backs of the poor first. Who, besides the poor suffer, the teachers, of course? This is a magnificent story of pre-school teachers coping with abuse, neglect, incest, and all forms of child abuse while the government agencies that are supposed to help just make excuses.The school is falling apart and being broken into for food, and the school board, and the police do little or nothing to help. Families are coping with 34% unemployment and the resulting depression. Sound familiar? It is also happening all over America, not just in France.The teacher training even tells new teachers that they will be social workers more than teachers. It is difficult to understand how learning can take place with children who are hungry, cold, and abused.Philippe Torreton does an excellent job as Daniel Lefebvre in writer/director Bertrand Tavernier's film. His frustration and anger shows whether he is throwing out a child welfare worker or yelling at the Mayor for cutting lunches. All the while he has to deal with problems at home and his ailing father.
Reviewed by Pedro-72 7 / 10

Very good social commentary

This film is an excellent commentary of the sheer difficulties in trying to improve a bad situation when the whole system - from the families involved to the political authorities - are effectively working against you. It shows that it is vital to persevere because to give up would be awful. Its ultimately optimistic about the strength of the human spirit but scathing about the corrupting and degrading influence of the system.The only criticisms are that the camera technique was very fluid which meant that the picture was always moving up and down, in and out of focus. This was interesting but quite taxing on the eyes. Also, it was perhaps half an hour longer than it could have been so it dragged somewhat in places. But a very good film. 4/5
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