Film Fresh

At a tough inner-city middle school in Paris, a dedicated teacher named Mr. Marin (Begaudeau) begins the new term. Taking on a class comprised of a melting pot of modern-day French society, he pushes and prods his pupils while striving to gain their respect. And as each side challenges the other over issues both academic and personal, Mr. Marin and his students are about to get an education they'll never forget. The winner of the Palme D'Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, THE CLASS is both powerful and provocative, "an artful, intelligent movie" (Manohla Dargis, THE NEW YORK TIMES) based on Begaudeau's best-selling autobiographical novel.