It took me a long time to decide how best I could present a synopsis on what I loved most about the movie.
There are many undercurrents that permeate this movie, it is easy to get caught up in the riptides of emotion, the mental awakening, the placentaic synthesis of life and loose track of the important realism that the movie delivers.
The movie is a behind the scenes peek at teachers.
These days I hear people talk constantly about how good teachers have it, the number of paid holidays these sentinels of thought indulge in- fine wine for us regular off the shelf vacationing hard working blue collared folk, I hear the envy seep through when their easy nine to five hours are discussed, when we berate their lack of professional commitment towards the personal development of our 'soft enough to mold, hard enough to break others in' progeny - this litany has increased in vocal depth and dimension over the years, and as I have grown older I watch the world narrow its focus on the the validity of teaching, the dispensation of education, the competitive edge 'good education' provides and the limits that 'bad education' imposes.
I have been both- a drop from that census for whom it was counted as blessing to pay the equivalent of their children's educational weight to a consortium that literally ruled over its flock of half-panted, short sleeved minions, where education was but a staccato 0ft-parroted-certified means to an end.
I am now threaded in, part of the diaspora that watches as hard earned tax dollars fund the educational system. The same principle applies, to provide a sound base for life, to sustain education without bias, available for those who want and require it and at a level considered sufficient enough to allow said learners to drift into the wider world with knowledge enough to keep them afloat.
In the wake of'my own personal educational awakening' where education did not necessarily a career make, and betwixt the fair weather lounge and muse moments that i devolve in, I watched this amazing movie unfold with its back-story of a substitute teacher and the much undermined plight of both students and teachers in schools where the the lower denominations of society are nudged to partake of what they consider to be a bitter-pilled education.
This movie is directed by Tony Kaye who also directed one of my favourites 'American History X'.
In the opening sequence of the movie the feisty Principal Carol Dearden (Marcian Gay Harden) is being asked to review her future role in the school. The repeated low State scores that the students are bringing in, is touted as the reason for her coerced resignation. The supervisor of the Education Board is looking to replace her and cultivate 'consensus builders' among the schools. Carol rebutts with no visible effect that the poorer students from the other schools in the area are being syphoned into her school and therefore the average grades are falling, due to the increased pressure on her poorly staffed school.
Enter Adrien Brody perfectly cast as Henry Barthes a brooding substitute teacher who without waiting to set anchor in any specific educational institution floats about with amazing alacrity choosing only to share his profound interest need, want and desire to assimilate information, with his transient student base. Interwoven with his fear of geographical, physical and mental entropy are the lives of those swivelled into the mix - composite elements of the particular educational institution he chooses to sub at during the length of the movie.
There is a quiet darkness to him that is revealed in two pivotal moments first when Jerry a student in his class tries to intimidate him flinging his satchel across the room, Henry says that he is as much without emotions as the mistreated bag and that his feelings cannot be hurt. He also tells Jerry that he is one of the few people who will give Jerry an opportunity, and requests him to take it. He is stone faced calm and this compels Jerry to calm down.
In the second instance the assisted living home that houses his dementia ridden grand father calls him. The grandfather constantly locks himself in the bathroom.
The nurse from the centre calls Henry and tells him to come in to get his father out, and refuses to do anymore. Once Henry helps his grandfather out and puts him back to bed. He calls the nurse an ''educated drone' and tells her that she better stop neglecting his grandfather's needs or he will start fucking with her family's life by getting her fired. This is a shocking scene where neglect is countered by rage.
On his way back a teen prostitute Erica tries to conduct business with him but he ignores her, and both of them get more and more agitated as the conversation progresses.
In their second meeting Henry offers Erica food and a place to stay, helps her clean up, I know this is cliched but I found the manner in which the scene portrayed very touching.
Henry realises that Erica might have been raped and could have contracted HIV from her assailant.
My favourite scene in the movie is when Henry sets up a place for Erica to sleep without seeking even a thank you in return. Over the course of the movie Erica gets attached to Henry, and he tries to detach himself. On the day after he offers her a place to stay she brings in a customer, even as he throws out the person he makes sure in his detached manner that the customer pay Erica. He is not emotional in his anger, he understands that this is what Erica chooses to do, and in doing so, must get what is owed to her. When his grandfather's who he shares a dark past with dies, he decides the right thing to do is let Erica go into the foster care system or a juvenile school rather than be associated with a person as detached as he is.
Henry tries to be a concerned teacher to a student with low self esteem named Meredith (played by Betty Kaye), she misreads his concern and becomes infatuated.
Here again Henry's need to bring comfort to his student is mis-interpreted, by a colleague Ms Sarah Madison and this simple act has sad ramifications in the latter half of the movie.
There are brilliant roles assigned to the rest of the teacher cast, to include Tim Blake Nelson (Mr. Wiatt), Lucy Liu (Dr. Doris Parker), Blythe Danner (Ms. Perkins).
I loved James Caan's portrayal of Charles Seaboldt, and the manner in which he deals with two students. I really enjoyed his brilliantly multi-accented take on a student's abusive posturing.
There is sadness, detachment and prose. In the end we are given a level of hope in the midst of Henry's readings from Charles Dickens 'Bleak House'.
You will love the scene in which Henry explains 'ubiquitous assimilation.' and I hope that this movie will help you assimilate with those that empathize with the tremendous responsibilty that burdens teachers, and repect their tenacity to make it through another day hopefully with a smile rather than a frown- for the children.
