After an elementary school teacher hangs herself in the classroom, a school is left shaken. The principal cannot find a substitute teacher to take over the assignment and the students are coping with their grief over the death of their popular teacher. Monsieur Lazhar, claiming to be a teacher from Algeria who is a permanent resident in Canada but cannot obtain a permanent job, arrives and is tasked with restoring some order to the class.
Barney’s Version
Initially apprehensive about how the narrative structure of Barney’s Version would translate to the screen, I was presently surprised. The film mixes flashbacks with events occurring in the present day, jumping forwards years and months at a time without jarring the audience. Brief moments of forgetfulness and showing the protagonist through mirrors or translucent surfaces illustrates the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease before Barney is completely stricken in the final quarter of the film. On the other hand, I thought that the book included more of a Rashomon-type vibe than what was featured by the film. The work was entertaining – …