Elementary

The approach to teaching at Makarenko, a public elementary school in the Parisian suburb Ivry-sur-Seine, is progressive and empathetic. No one is allowed to disturb a pupil who is sleeping, for example, because he needs his rest. And a neurodivergent pupil gets to let off steam once in awhile by doing a few laps on a kick scooter in the playground. While behavioral boundaries are carefully monitored, we rarely hear a raised voice.

Like the teachers, veteran documentarian Claire Simon takes an egalitarian approach: her observational film avoids focusing on single individuals and presents this educational environment as a collective project. Her camera stays at child height throughout, and never gets involved in classroom situations. This lends the documentary an authentic feel, with each day a natural succession of fractions and grammar, minor dramas, and moving triumphs.

At the magical heart of Elementary are the tireless teachers. More than just educators, they are caregivers in the broadest sense of the word. Realizing how chronically underfunded French primary education is makes this vivid mosaic portrait all the more resonant.