Episode 94: Nicolas Philibert's 'To Be and To Have' (2002)

In this episode, I talk about Nicolas Philibert's 2002 documentary, "To Be and To Have." It focuses on a small school in rural France where the kind and patient teacher, Georges Lopez, instills a sense of worth in all of his students and connects with them one-on-one. The film shows the dynamics between the students who range in age, from kindergartners to teenagers and also looks at some of their struggles. I talk about childhood, separation, nostalgia, the importance of school in my own life, and the impact that various teachers had on me.

Full Show Notes:

The Gleaners and I
Marwencol
A Man Named Pearl
My episode on The Passion of Joan of Arc
My episode on Cleo from 5 to 7
My episode on Dogfight
My episode on The Mouth Agape
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Won't You Be My Neighbor
Columbine
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Hamlet by Shakespeare
Annie Dillard
My episode on Dead Poets Society
"Silicon Valley Came to Kansas Schools. That Started a Rebellion." (The New York Times)

All My Sources:

Nicolas Philibert: I have no idea what my films are about (The Guardian)
Nicolas Philibert: interview (Time Out London)
Être et avoir: The Medium and the Moment (Senses of Cinema)
"A camera gives you incredible power over others" by Nicolas Philibert
When avoir becomes more important than etre: now les enfants sue for slice of French film action (The Independent)
Film's fallen hero fights on for his class (The Guardian)

* "Massif Hit" by Geoff Andrew (Time Out London)

* Back to basis by Richard Falcon (Sight and Sound)
A Schoolroom Where Life is the Curriculum by Leslie Camhi (The New York Times)