Être et avoir (2002)

Director:

Nicolas Philibert

Release Date:

28 August 2002 (France)

Genre:

Documentary | Family

Plot:

A documentary portrait of a one-room school in rural France, where the students (ranging in age from 4 to 11) are educated by a single dedicated teacher.

Plot Keywords:

School | Dedicated Teacher | France | Dictation | Classroom

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 8 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Georges Lopez	...	The teacher
Alizé	...	Herself (student)
Axel	...	Himself (student)
Guillaume	...	Himself (student)
Jessie	...	Herself
Johan	...	Himself (student) (as JoJo)
Johann	...	Himself (student)
Jonathan	...	Himself
Julien	...	Himself (student)
Laura	...	Herself
Létitia	...	Herself
Marie-Elizabeth	...	Herself
Nathalie	...	Herself
Olivier	...	Himself (student)
Franck	...	Himself

Also Known As:

To Be and to Have (International: English title)

Runtime:

104 min | France:105 min (Cannes Film Festival)

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Taiwan:GP | Iceland:L | Singapore:PG | Italy:T | South Korea:All | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Brazil:Livre | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:o.Al. | Norway:A | Sweden:Btl | Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Saint-Etienne-sur-Usson, Puy-de-Dôme, France

Company:

Canal+

Trivia:

After Etre et Avoir received so many awards and was met with such fanfare, the teacher, Georges Lopez, sued the producer for compensation. Contractually he and the students were paid a set amount of money (low-budget documentary prices), however Lopez did promotional tours and thought he deserved a larger share after the film's success. The French judge did not rule in his favour.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Another Gay Movie (2006)

A hymn to teaching and Georges Lopez in particular.

Teaching is a gift, a talent and it can not be taught-sure, people can be taught at universities about the particulars of teaching but the guts of teaching is something that imbues an adult with the warmth of dealing with young people. Georges Lopez has that talent, that gift and this beautiful film allows adults to see what happens in something we all participate in but rarely have a chance to observe after we are adults.

I found the film to be mesmerizing with it's reflections on the beauty and innocence of childhood as well as the little insights into French rural life all held together with the "glue" provided by the teaching of Lopez with his powerful personality. The beauty of this personality and his extraordinary attitude towards the children in his care are the parts of this wonderfully warm documentary that linger with me after viewing the film.

A person feels so humbled after watching a master at work and we must question our society's values when a man of this talent can beaver away unknown in deep pockets in urban and rural settings under valued by our society while others with far less to contribute are valued to a degree beyond worth.