It could be happening almost anywhere in the western world. The government wants to balance its books, jobs disappear while at the same time money spent on welfare decreases.
This particular story takes place in France, in the north, where coal mines used to bring grimy prosperity to the bleak landscape. Most of the mines are closed now, but the miners and their families are still here, desperately trying to survive. And when there`s not enough money for food or electricity, when tempers fray to the point of violence, when misery is washed away by booze, who suffers most? The children of course, and, in this case, the children who attend the kindergarten where Daniel Lefebvre, Philippe Torreton, teaches.
Bertrand Tavernier`s poignant, heart-rending film was inspired by his son in law, a kindergarten teacher whose experiences were turned into a screenplay. This is, I suppose, Ken Loach territory - impassioned social realism which cries out for change. But Tavernier is a better filmmaker than Loach, and his widescreen images are always intensely cinematic and poetic. This is an exceptionally moving film, and an important, indelible achievement.
