Monsieur Lazhar (French, DVD)

Philippe Falardeau writes and directs this drama set in a Quebec junior school, adapted from a stage play by Évelyne de la Chenelière. When their much-loved teacher commits suicide, a class of Grade 6 pupils is left bereft and shell-shocked. In desperation, headteacher Madame Vaillancourt (Danielle Proulx) hires Algerian refugee Bachir Lazhar (Mohamed Fellag), buying into his story that he is a landed immigrant and has been teaching for 19 years, when he has actually been running a restaurant. Despite his unconventional methods, Bachir proves himself capable of dealing with the children's tender emotions sensitively and creatively, but as he becomes more deeply involved in the situation, he must face up to a devastating loss from his own past. The movie received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.