To Be and to Have (Etre et Avoir)
Directed by Nicolas Phillibert
Showing at Palace cinemas, Sydney and Cinema Nova, Melbourne
REVIEW BY JOHN GAUCI
All over France, you can still find "single-class schools" — schools that bring together all the children from one village into a single, one-teacher class.
Like single-class schools in regional Australia, these classes keep numerous isolated villages and towns alive. But such schools are threatened with closure as soon as their numbers dwindle.
To Be and To Have was shot in one of these schools, in the French town of St-Etienne-sur-Usson, in the province of Auvergne. At its centre, George Lopez is a dedicated, soon to retire teacher responsible for nurturing a dozen students aged three to 11 in all subjects, from math to cooking. Caught between self-isolation and an open approach to the world at large, this small eclectic group shares everyday life, for better and for worse, along the steep path of learning to read, write and count.
The remarkable caring and dedication of Lopez is highlighted in his patience and well thought-out organisation of space and time to cater for the wide and varied needs of his students.
The film isn't a documentary in the traditional sense, with a demonstrative and didactic approach. Director Nicholas Philibert tells a story, provokes emotion and stays close to the characters in this adventure, in order to share their trials, joys and minor dramas. He reflects the whole range of feelings that we experience along the rocky path of learning and growing up. More than 300 schools were contacted and more than 100 visited during the selection process for the film.
Lopez, aged 55, has two hours of work to do every evening at home, including on Saturdays and, at times, Sundays too. He explains: "The children have to learn very quickly to become self-sufficient and assume their responsibilities". Behind these serious words, we can clearly see that the idea is to equip them for life. Thus they learn how to get along peacefully with one another — verbal and physical disputes are settled by reasoned discussion, not through physical chastisement — and they are encouraged to express their fears and worries.
To Be and To Have celebrates the adventure of learning in a nurturing environment. We witness the epic struggle of a child carrying out a pitched battle with a subtraction. Part of the joy of this film is the balance between the children's fresh view of the world and the wisdom that Lopez brings to their journey. Whilst there are lessons in the basics of reading, writing and mathematics, there are also more playful activities, such as baking pancakes, tobogganing in the snow, and picnicking in the summer fields.
The viewer shares Lopez's sense of joy and sadness as he farewells his pupils at the conclusion of the school year. His well deserved retirement will be a great loss to education. This is also the case in many Australian states and territories with one in four highly experienced and dedicated Australian teachers reaching retirement age over the next five years. A crisis in the supply of teachers is looming as fewer university students are attracted to the profession. A major factor for this is the gradual erosion of teachers' salaries compared to other professional degrees.
From 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly, April 29, 2004.
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