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The Class

Original title: Entre les murs · Turkish title: Sınıf

“The greatest lessons are learnt when life enters the classroom.”

2008 · 2 h 8 min
Directed by Laurent Cantet
Drama

Cast

François Bégaudeau Franck Keïta Esmeralda Ouertani

Credits

Written by: Laurent Cantet

Plot

In a Paris middle school in a multicultural neighbourhood, François, a French teacher, struggles to engage with his students over a school year. Discussions in the classroom about language, culture and respect lead to conflict when one student is sent before the disciplinary council. Laurent Cantet's 2008 film, with real teachers and students, and based on François Bégaudeau's book, won the Palme d'Or at Cannes.

Sinekatalog’s take

Laurent Cantet's school drama, shot in a real Paris classroom, feels almost like a documentary. The debates between teacher and pupils are tense and funny, and the film is humane and sharply observed.Sinekatalog’s own editorial review – not a user or critic quote.

Ratings

IMDb: 7.5 / 10 (37,678 votes)
IMDb rating and vote count from the IMDb ratings dataset (October 2026). Scores change over time.

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