Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by tinear (A) on March 17, 2009 at 14:09:29

best film of the year. It looks very much like a documentary as was the object of the director. The students, though they really are students and not the 20-somethings which all too often people such American films, do not play themselves but rather fictional characters. They fooled me!
Yes, the teacher is fantastically played by the real-life teacher who wrote the book upon which the film is based and he is charismatic and human, both. But is it much of a revelation that racism and a view of severely limited futures makes book learning a difficult sell to students of color?
Two clichés, that the darkest students are the most outspoken and troublesome and the Asian is the best academically, would be hooted at in this country, at this time. And that is the central problem with this film: it may be news to the French, with their relatively recent racial tensions, but Americans have been aware of racism and the difficulties of inner city schools for some time.
It is good to be reminded of them, of course, and this film is very well done, very entertaining, and very well acted.
Though a very different film, I found, "Half-Nelson" a more insightful effort.