Elementary(Apprendre)

Over the course of a full school year, Simon’s unobtrusive camera quietly observes the dynamics of an elementary school in the Paris suburbs. Daily challenges range from instruction in traditional subjects like mathematics and geography to peacekeeping in the playground, as diverse classes of children from a myriad different ethnic and cultural backgrounds learn how to co-exist harmoniously. In the film’s most memorable sequence, the kids engage in a heated and inadvertently amusing discussion about religion, comparing the conflicting practices of their various faiths, as perceived through the unique prism of young minds who have not yet committed the finer details to memory.

Cannes Film Festival