Entre les murs (Collection Folio (Gallimard))

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The way it would work is Laurent would give me a theme [for the scene] and then I would improvise the dialogue. The novel is a semi-autobiographical account of Bégaudeau's experiences as a French language and literature teacher in a middle school in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, particularly illuminating his struggles with "problem children": Esmerelda (Esmeralda Ouertani), Khoumba (Rachel Regulier), and Souleymane (Franck Keïta).

The plot centres around a pivotal exchange between the teacher and a recalcitrant student, Souleymane, where the wrong choice of words leads to a dramatic unravelling of the classroom's febrile peace. And as the kids break free for the summer, Cantet's final shots remain in the empty classroom, allowing us time to contemplate all of the issues that his film has raised.Cantet's final tableau shots of the empty classroom, like a deserted battlefield, made the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. But it has been well received in France, largely because of its topicality: it addresses the current concern over the integration of immigrant students into a crumbling school system and ties into the ongoing debate over what exactly constitutes "Frenchness". At Cannes it became the first French film to win the Palme d'Or for 21 years and was described by Sean Penn, the chairman of the jury, as "magic". Souleymane - a truculent and sullen adolescent of Malian descent whose immigrant mother does not speak French - is played by 17-year-old Franck Keita.

Uproar follows, in which Souleymane, after accidentally hitting Khoumba with his backpack, storms out and is suspended. Remarkably, Bégaudeau plays himself, or a version of himself; he does it very well, although as teaching is all about putting on a performance commanding enough to subdue the toughest audiences, maybe that shouldn't surprise us. Just being there gave me such a frisson," he says, "but I didn't have good enough English to go up and talk to them.That crude insult ignites a violent row, which becomes toxic when François neglects to mention the "skanks" provocation in his official report. This film shows it as it really is and, for me, it is very credible - there are good moments and there are bad moments. The only thing I don't like is that on the film poster I'm making a face that I hate - it's bizarre to see yourself look so big. Its themes are universal, and the questions it provokes about cultural identity, discipline, and the way we teach and learn should resonate with any viewers who seek out this marvellous film.

The Class is a film with very little in the way of conventional action, but it's an exhilarating picture to watch nonetheless. Later, Khoumba pulls aside François, telling him that if Souleymane is expelled, his father may send him back to his native country, Mali, as punishment. In stark contrast to films like Dead Poets Society or Mr Holland's Opus, where the characters' private lives and extra-curricular activities drive the drama, The Class shows us Mr Marin trying to explain the intricacies of grammar to his students, and lets the film's themes arise from these discussions.This is because Cantet prepared the film by selecting thousands of real students for the various parts and then going through a year-long improvisation exercise with those who made it to the final cut. The film is loosely based on the 2006 novel of the same name by François Bégaudeau , which includes autobiographical elements and describes the life of a French language and literature teacher in an inner Paris school (a “collège”, the equivalent of a mixed comprehensive school in the UK). One was the Italian crime drama Gomorra, based on a non-fiction bestseller about the Camorra's dealings. Here, we have the true testimony of a person that realizes the weight of his social role as an educator (and, therefore, as a transmitter of values) and attempts to create awareness of such relevant worldwide issue through a novel and now a film. The film received a unanimous Palme d'Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, making it the first French film to do so since 1987, when Maurice Pialat won the award for Under the Sun of Satan.

This one remark sends a shockwave through the movie; resulting in disciplinary action against one of Marin's students, and much tongue-tied babbling from the teacher as he tries to talk himself out of the hole he has dug for himself. As a consequence, education becomes a way to address the limits of inclusivity in contemporary French society.In François's class, Esmeralda (Esmeralda Ouertani) and Khoumba (Rachel Regulier) predominate: they are smart but moody, idle and subversive, and just savvy enough about François's liberal scruples to wind him up. A teacher would need the patience of a saint to contend daily with the kind of uncooperative, moody teenagers Marin is faced with here, but even though Bégaudeau is essentially playing a version of himself here, this is no idealised portrait. Actually, you didn't realise what you were doing - it was like a game," adds Louise Grinberg, 15, who appears in the movie under her own name, playing an intelligent yet shy member of the class.