Warm and intelligent documentary that uses simple means to achieve very impressive ends. Every character is a star.

Whatever commentary there is is entirely subtextual. We get to see snippets of a school year in a rural French schoolhouse with about 15 students of various elementary school ages. Some of these are good students, some are bad, the teacher is very much human and not perfect but also clearly cares and it's not an easy job. There's nothing to quite make you go wow but it's greater than the sum of its parts, a triumph of simplicity and small insights into the learning process and life itself.

A lovely little film. I work at a preschool and I get to experience some of this magic and charm everyday. Kids are all wonderful in their own ways.

"Nicolas Philibert observes life inside a one-room schoolhouse in northern France in his documentary To Be and to Have, easily one of the best films of the year." - Ed Gonzalez

Not enough bad poetry!

Don't read the imdb trivia. I know you want to--now more than ever--But seriously. Don't.

I couldn't possibly say anything bad about this bittersweet, emotional, well-made documentary about a single-class school somewhere in rural France. At the center of it all stands the kind-hearted, almost saintly, teacher, Georges Lopez. His methods are old-fashioned, and I'll leave it to others to discuss how effective they are, but it's certainly a joy to watch him deal with the children in their ups and downs.

Very boring and vaguely depressing. I'm very sorry, I know I'm supposed to like it but it really was quite terrible. It also made me feel bad for not liking it. Fuck you movie, it's not my fault you suck!

A remarkable decision not to shoot this on video. The greatest documentary about schoolteaching. See also "The Afghan Alphabet."

"a warm and serene look at primary education in the French heartlands."

What an eye-opener to see a teacher who clearly loves what he's doing and who is great at it. When Lopez reveals that he's retiring, I internally gasped, "No! You can't! We need people like you!" What I really loved about the movie itself is the lack of talking heads (only one short interview with Lopez). His interactions with the kids tell the story. And I LOVED the editing restraint showed when some of the kids were struggling. It really showed how wonderfully patient and caring Lopez is/was.

There's always something great about watching kids unscripted. I love how Mr. Lopez is always so calm and doesn't make a big deal out of each kid's personal crisis for the day. The last scene was quite touching.