A Montreal middle school is shaken by the death of its well-liked teacher. Monsieur Lazhar (playwright Mohamed Fellag), an Algerian immigrant, is their substitute teacher for the next year. This lovely, touching look at teaching has won many rave reviews and audience awards, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. 

"Deceptively simple and straightforward. Philippe Falardeau's gentle, perceptive drama takes viewers by the hand, not the throat, leading them through volatile emotional territory with assurance, compassion and lucid, steady-eyed calm. Among the many gifts that arrive by way of Monsieur Lazhar is an introduction to Fellag, a well-known actor in Algeria who arrives with the revelatory exhilaration that more often greets a young newcomer." (Ann Hornaday, the Washington Post)