Original title: Entre les murs (The Class)
Year: 2008, France
Director: Laurent Cantet
Based on: the semi-autobiographical book by François Bégaudeau, who also plays the teacher
Style: docu-drama, non-professional student actors, naturalistic dialogue
Awards: Palme d’Or at Cannes
Setting: a diverse, inner‑city Paris middle school over one academic year
1) Plot overview and main characters
The film follows François Marin, a French-language teacher trying to keep a restless class engaged. His students come from many backgrounds: North and West Africa, the Caribbean, China, and France. The school year unfolds through lessons, staff meetings, parent talks, and small crises that feel very real rather than scripted.
- François Marin — idealistic but imperfect teacher who believes in dialogue and language as tools for growth.
- Esmeralda — sharp, outspoken, often challenging authority, surprisingly well-read.
- Khoumba — proud and independent; resents being singled out and pushes back.
- Souleymane — impulsive Malian student; can be disruptive, but shows talent when motivated.
- Wei — quiet student from a Chinese family; his home situation and language barriers surface in class.
Everyday frictions build: grammar drills turn into debates about identity and respect; a “self‑portrait” assignment prompts creative work (Souleymane’s photo montage is a highlight); class representatives report on teachers’ comments; and staff must decide sanctions for repeated misbehavior. The pivotal rupture arrives when a heated exchange makes Mr. Marin lose his temper and say something he should not have said to student reps in front of the class. Chaos follows, and a chain of disciplinary steps eventually targets Souleymane, who faces a formal hearing.
2) The meaning in simple words
At heart, the movie asks: what can school really change, and what can it not? It shows a teacher who tries to meet students “where they are,” using humor and argument, and students who want respect as much as knowledge. Language is power in this classroom — the power to name, to include, or to wound. When the teacher uses the wrong word in anger, it hurts as much as a physical shove.
It also shows how rules and labels shape young lives. A single incident can change a student’s path. The film avoids heroes and villains; instead, it shows how everybody is both right and wrong at different moments. The message is simple: school is a human place. People learn or shut down depending on trust, dignity, and whether the adult in the room truly listens. Progress in class is fragile, and one careless moment can undo months of effort.
3) Ending explained
The central crisis leads to a disciplinary council for Souleymane. During a tense hearing with teachers and his mother (who struggles with French), the committee decides to expel him. The film never confirms exact legal outcomes, but it hints that this decision could have serious consequences for his future and family stability. What matters is the feeling: a young person is pushed out, partly because of impulsive behavior, and partly because the system cannot hold him.
| Event | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Teacher calls two girls “pétasses” in anger | This crosses a line: the adult misuses language, breaking trust and authority. |
| Classroom scuffle and disruption | Escalation turns a verbal slip into a disciplinary case. |
| Souleymane’s expulsion | Shows how institutions resolve conflict by exclusion rather than repair. |
After exams, the final class is quiet. Students share what they learned. Esmeralda surprises everyone by saying she read Plato’s “Republic” and enjoyed it; she even quotes it. This moment proves that learning can happen in unexpected ways and not always on the teacher’s schedule. But then a very shy girl says she did not understand the year at all — she “learned nothing.” This confession hits harder than any test score. It tells Mr. Marin that beneath the noise and debates, some students were silently left behind.
The last images show students playing football in the yard ⚽ while the classroom empties out. Mr. Marin sits alone, absorbing the quiet. There is no triumphant speech, no neat wrap‑up. The year ends with mixed results: one student expelled, one student secretly blooming, another feeling lost. The film’s point is that real education is messy, uneven, and ongoing — there is no final victory, only the next attempt. 🧱
- Why no clear “winner”? Because a class is many stories at once: success for Esmeralda, failure for the shy student, a door closed for Souleymane.
- Why is the ending powerful? It forces us to see the cost of small daily choices — the words we use, the students we notice, the ones we miss.
- What lingers? The idea that teaching is not control, but a continuous conversation that can help, harm, or both.
In short, the ending refuses a feel‑good answer. It leaves us with responsibility: teachers, students, and institutions must keep talking and listening — carefully — because a single word can build a bridge or start a fire. 🎓