Translation: It all starts today
I had to watch this movie today for my French class. It all starts out with a Kindergarten teacher in a small town in France. The town is in a depression and a huge economic slump (sound familiar?). The thing about the movie that struck me the most is what the children had to encounter. The first case was one girl whose mother is a drunk and continues to drink all the time because she has nothing better to do. She can't pay the bills, and as a result, her family has gone without electricity for over 8 months. She talks to the teachers about it, and they try to help, but the government is plagued with complaints and is in debt as well. To avoid everything, she decides to kill her children and herself.
The second case is about a family that is completely unemployed. The parents have lost all hope, so they stop setting the alarm to take their kid to school. The kindergarten teacher tries to convince them that their child's education is something to have hope in, and that even if they don't have a job they should still try to take their kid to school--especially because it's free for those who can't afford it. They do end up sending their daughter back to school, and she manages all A's.
The third case is about a boy who is abused by his uncle. They find marks and bruises all over his body, and the breaking point for the teachers is when they find a gash on his head. The uncle is reported but not without a fight, and he comes to threaten the teacher who reported him. The child is finally separated from his uncle and mom, and it can only be assumed that it is for the better.
Throughout the movie, the teacher tries to gain funding for his school; however, the local government is reluctant, to say the least, to give him any money, and they insist that the parents must pay the $5/month needed to keep their child there. They also refuse to give lunches for the kids because the kids can't eat for free.
That's one of the things that bothered me the most. Will there really be a point where the government will completely ignore the needs of a minority in order to do what they think is best for the majority. Honestly, not using $4 for kids to eat lunch is so depressing. They're only kids, and it's not their fault that their parents are out of work. I dunno, the movie was really sad, BUT the ending was vaguely happy, but my attention span didn't last that long. haha.
