Episode 716 - School's Out (2018)

Hi everyone!

It’s Friday, so it’s time for another Fantastic Fest feature from Andrew Campbell. After completely missing the mark on the subject matter for last week’s COME TO DADDY (Episode #709), Andrew gave me some bullet points for the film, which he’s assured me is not a documentary about the famous end of school year anthem. So, on this Valentine’s Day, this romantic comedy concerns a group of honors students... who gather together as their teacher... oh. Oh my. Definitely letting Andrew handle this one. Don’t miss his other recent reviews for THE LODGE (Episode #702) and COLOR OUT OF SPACE (Episode #695). Yeesh!

Before the review, we’ll have a promo from our good friends at the How I Met Your Friends podcast. Every episode, Julie and Kathleen examine one episode of each hit sitcom, exploring the hidden connections and easter eggs within each episode. Don’t miss their recent guest review for CATS (Episode #699), along with the reason they got stuck with the review. You can find them on Twitter @himyfriendspod,and on Facebook and Instagram @howimetyourfriendspod.

Subscribe to stay current with the latest releases.

Contribute at Patreon for exclusive content.

Connect with us over social media to continue the conversation.

Here we go!

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<< HOW I MET YOUR FRIENDS PROMO >>

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Hello film fans!

Andrew here, back today with a simmering French drama that feels a bit out of step with the typical genre fare that Fantastic Fest espouses, forgivable because it’s just so darn good. The closest comparison I can draw to today’s film is Paul Verhoeven’s 2016 film ELLE which highlighted a fearless performance from Isabelle Huppert. That French drama centered around a traumatic event and followed Elle through a shifting narrative that never really let the audience anticipate where the story was headed. Today’s film has much the same vibe.

Today’s movie is SCHOOL’S OUT(2018), the French thriller written by Christophe Dufossé, Elise Griffon & Sébastien Marnier, and directed by Marnier. SCHOOL’S OUT made its North American premiere at last year’s Fantastic Fest - Marnier’s sophomore directorial effort following up on 2016’s FAULTLESS, which also opened at the festival.

The film stars Laurent Lafitte as Pierre Hoffman, a self-assured yet inexperienced teacher given the unenviable task of taking over a class after the death of a teacher. The school is an elite secondary institution, and this is the gifted class. Within the class exists a small group of friends, mature beyond their years, that have trouble relating to their peers within the school. When Mr. Hoffman tries to pick up where their beloved teacher left off, he encounters resistance, growing suspicious of his students as he tries to understand what makes them different.

No spoilers.

Well, I lied, a little spoiler, lifted directly out of the one-sentence plot summary and the very first scene of the film: their teacher didn’t die of natural causes. After politely waiting for the opening title cards to wrap up, the teacher calmly opens up the third story classroom window in the middle of a test and walks out. It’s a distressing opener that sets the tone for a tense film, staged in a way that it does not sensationalize the violence, instead capturing a genuine reaction to the shocking event.

SCHOOL’S OUT is a slow-burn but stick with me. When I hear a film described that way, it’s generally a bit of turn off. I mean, I barely watched 200 films last year. I don’t have time for slow-burns; I need action! But with SCHOOL’S OUT, director Marnier has crafted a film with such intrigue that everyday moments like choir practice and teachers’ meetings feel like they contain clues to solve a mystery. Better still, the audience is never really certain exactly what mystery we’re trying to solve. The kids aren’t alright, but we don’t know why.

One other thing SCHOOL’S OUT has in common with ELLE is lead actor Laurent Lafitte, who played a key role in ELLE. Laurent is a veteran French actor yet to break into the Hollywood film scene and he commands attention here. His frustrations with the cabal of brilliant teens within the gifted class begin to grow and he struggles mightily to understand them as he begins to witness increasingly unsettling behavior. Lafitte’s not-so-quiet intensity builds to a boiling point and never do the cultural differences nor subtitles get in the way of appreciating his performance. Though he does much of the heavy lifting, the young adults playing Mr. Hoffman’s students are also quite compelling.

What makes SCHOOL'S OUT fantastic? As I mentioned at the top, this one really didn’t feel like a genre film would appeal to the Fantastic Fest programming team. However, upon repeat viewing, I was able to key in on some of the more subtle (and less subtle) clues that ultimately paid off in what I consider a picture perfect ending. It’s far easier to sustain an enigmatic story through the first two acts of a film than it is to bring it all together in the finale, but SCHOOL’S OUT succeeds on all fronts.

SCHOOL’S OUT is DEAD POET’S SOCIETY through the nihilistic lens of FIGHT CLUB. Fans of films full of existential dread such DONNIE DARKO, MULHOLLAND DRIVE or MELANCHOLIA will enjoy this film.

Rotten Tomatoes: 100%

Metacritic: NR

One Movie Punch: 8.2/10

SCHOOL’S OUT (2018) is not rated and is streaming now on Amazon Prime video.

Come back next week for something completely different - a nightmarish descent into Hell set against a drug-fueled LA art scene. BLISS is the spiritual successor to Nic Cage’s MANDY - an 80-minute acid trip that just hit Shudder. Let’s find out if it’s worth the ride.

See you then!

Hi everyone!

It’s Friday, so it’s time for another Fantastic Fest feature from Andrew Campbell. After completely missing the mark on the subject matter for last week’s COME TO DADDY (Episode #709), Andrew gave me some bullet points for the film, which he’s assured me is not a documentary about the famous end of school year anthem. So, on this Valentine’s Day, this romantic comedy concerns a group of honors students... who gather together as their teacher... oh. Oh my. Definitely letting Andrew handle this one. Don’t miss his other recent reviews for THE LODGE (Episode #702) and COLOR OUT OF SPACE (Episode #695). Yeesh!

Before the review, we’ll have a promo from our good friends at the How I Met Your Friends podcast. Every episode, Julie and Kathleen examine one episode of each hit sitcom, exploring the hidden connections and easter eggs within each episode. Don’t miss their recent guest review for CATS (Episode #699), along with the reason they got stuck with the review. You can find them on Twitter @himyfriendspod,and on Facebook and Instagram @howimetyourfriendspod.

Subscribe to stay current with the latest releases.

Contribute at Patreon for exclusive content.

Connect with us over social media to continue the conversation.

Here we go!

/////

>

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Hello film fans!

Andrew here, back today with a simmering French drama that feels a bit out of step with the typical genre fare that Fantastic Fest espouses, forgivable because it’s just so darn good. The closest comparison I can draw to today’s film is Paul Verhoeven’s 2016 film ELLE which highlighted a fearless performance from Isabelle Huppert. That French drama centered around a traumatic event and followed Elle through a shifting narrative that never really let the audience anticipate where the story was headed. Today’s film has much the same vibe.

Today’s movie is SCHOOL’S OUT(2018), the French thriller written by Christophe Dufossé, Elise Griffon & Sébastien Marnier, and directed by Marnier. SCHOOL’S OUT made its North American premiere at last year’s Fantastic Fest - Marnier’s sophomore directorial effort following up on 2016’s FAULTLESS, which also opened at the festival.

The film stars Laurent Lafitte as Pierre Hoffman, a self-assured yet inexperienced teacher given the unenviable task of taking over a class after the death of a teacher. The school is an elite secondary institution, and this is the gifted class. Within the class exists a small group of friends, mature beyond their years, that have trouble relating to their peers within the school. When Mr. Hoffman tries to pick up where their beloved teacher left off, he encounters resistance, growing suspicious of his students as he tries to understand what makes them different.

No spoilers.

Well, I lied, a little spoiler, lifted directly out of the one-sentence plot summary and the very first scene of the film: their teacher didn’t die of natural causes. After politely waiting for the opening title cards to wrap up, the teacher calmly opens up the third story classroom window in the middle of a test and walks out. It’s a distressing opener that sets the tone for a tense film, staged in a way that it does not sensationalize the violence, instead capturing a genuine reaction to the shocking event.

SCHOOL’S OUT is a slow-burn but stick with me. When I hear a film described that way, it’s generally a bit of turn off. I mean, I barely watched 200 films last year. I don’t have time for slow-burns; I need action! But with SCHOOL’S OUT, director Marnier has crafted a film with such intrigue that everyday moments like choir practice and teachers’ meetings feel like they contain clues to solve a mystery. Better still, the audience is never really certain exactly what mystery we’re trying to solve. The kids aren’t alright, but we don’t know why.

One other thing SCHOOL’S OUT has in common with ELLE is lead actor Laurent Lafitte, who played a key role in ELLE. Laurent is a veteran French actor yet to break into the Hollywood film scene and he commands attention here. His frustrations with the cabal of brilliant teens within the gifted class begin to grow and he struggles mightily to understand them as he begins to witness increasingly unsettling behavior. Lafitte’s not-so-quiet intensity builds to a boiling point and never do the cultural differences nor subtitles get in the way of appreciating his performance. Though he does much of the heavy lifting, the young adults playing Mr. Hoffman’s students are also quite compelling.

What makes SCHOOL'S OUT fantastic? As I mentioned at the top, this one really didn’t feel like a genre film would appeal to the Fantastic Fest programming team. However, upon repeat viewing, I was able to key in on some of the more subtle (and less subtle) clues that ultimately paid off in what I consider a picture perfect ending. It’s far easier to sustain an enigmatic story through the first two acts of a film than it is to bring it all together in the finale, but SCHOOL’S OUT succeeds on all fronts.

SCHOOL’S OUT is DEAD POET’S SOCIETY through the nihilistic lens of FIGHT CLUB. Fans of films full of existential dread such DONNIE DARKO, MULHOLLAND DRIVE or MELANCHOLIA will enjoy this film.

Rotten Tomatoes: 100%

Metacritic: NR

One Movie Punch: 8.2/10

SCHOOL’S OUT (2018) is not rated and is streaming now on Amazon Prime video.

Come back next week for something completely different - a nightmarish descent into Hell set against a drug-fueled LA art scene. BLISS is the spiritual successor to Nic Cage’s MANDY - an 80-minute acid trip that just hit Shudder. Let’s find out if it’s worth the ride.

See you then!