The Class

From the first days, François Marin negotiates discipline with twenty-five pupils in a working-class Paris suburb. He attempts to balance authority with cooperation as the class reveals different backgrounds and ambitions. The opening days establish the fragile trust that will shape the year.

A dispute over using the imperfect and pluperfect subjunctive exposes gaps in the students' grammar and their willingness to challenge the teacher. A pupil even questions whether François is gay, testing boundaries and the class's readiness to question authority. The moment foreshadows the fragile trust in the room.

When the class reads aloud from The Diary of Anne Frank, Khoumba refuses, saying the text does not relate to her life. François pushes for participation and privately presses for an apology, highlighting the tension between inclusion and obedience. The incident underscores the personal boundaries the students bring to the room.

The self-portrait assignment invites private dreams to surface. Esmeralda declares she wants to be a policewoman or, failing that, a rapper, signaling bold ambition. Souleymane presents a story told through photographs during a parents' evening, while his mother translates since she doesn't speak French.

A debate over football teams with Will escalates until Souleymane insults François, and the pupil is sent to the head teacher's office. The incident illustrates the fragile line between competition and disrespect in the classroom. It foreshadows further disciplinary action later.

At a teachers' conference to decide final placings, François defends Souleymane, but his efforts are undermined by student representatives Esmeralda and Louise who behave in a childish way. The meeting reveals how peer influence and classroom politics can shape evaluation. The outcome remains unsettled for the pupil.

In the next class, Esmeralda and Louise reveal private information, claiming François had it in for Souleymane. François responds with a sharp rebuke, calling them pétasses, triggering an uproar. The exchange intensifies the division within the class.

Souleymane, after accidentally hitting Khoumba with his backpack, storms out and is suspended. The moment crystallizes the fragile order of the class and the consequences of escalating tensions. It further jeopardizes his standing in François's eyes.

Khoumba pulls François aside, warning that expelling Souleymane could prompt his father to send him back to Mali. The private warning highlights the external pressures that influence school decisions. It foreshadows the harsh outcome that may be looming.

A disciplinary hearing follows, and Souleymane is supported by his mother who translates for him. Despite these efforts, he is expelled, marking a decisive end to his time in François's class. The decision underscores the lasting impact of conflict and the limits of accommodation.

In the last lesson of the year, François asks each pupil what they have learned. Carl speaks of science experiments that inspired him, Khoumba notes growth in music and learning Spanish, and Esmeralda claims she learned nothing but then admits reading Plato's Republic in her free time. Henriette quietly confesses that she feels she learned nothing at all.

Outside, an impromptu football match forms between pupils and teachers as the year closes. The game offers a rare moment of camaraderie after months of tension, hinting at reconciliation and the ongoing bond of the class. It leaves the door open for future coexistence beyond the classroom walls.