Should you watch To Be and to Have?
Who it’s good for, who it isn’t, and what’s in it. No ratings, no scores.
To Be and to Have
Documentary · 2002
The documentary's title translates as "to be and to have", the two auxiliary verbs in the French language. It is about a primary school in the commune of Saint-Étienne-sur-Usson, Puy-de-Dôme, France, the population of which is just over 200. The school has one small class of mixed ages (from four to twelve years), with a dedicated teacher, Georges Lopez, who shows patience and respect for the children as we follow their story through a single school year.
The sides of To Be and to Have
- A one-class village school in Auvergne
- A patient teacher, Georges Lopez
- Children from four to twelve over one school year
To Be and to Have is good for you if…
- you like a quiet year in a small village classroom.
- you like watching children grow up across one school year.
- you enjoy patient scenes with no narration and no hurry.
To Be and to Have is bad for you if…
- you won't read subtitles for a French documentary.
- you want a documentary about school policy, not one classroom's year.
About: education · childhood · patience
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