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Editor's note: "Through a Screen Darkly," a monthly commentary by CT Movies critic Jeffrey Overstreet,explores films old and new, as well as relevant themes and trends in cinema. The column continues the journey begun in Overstreet's book of the same name.

"Carpe Diem."

Remember that? That's what Professor Keating (Robin Williams) told his class of troubled youngsters in Dead Poets Society.

"Seize the days, boys. Make your lives extraordinary."

In The Class, "Seize the day" might be the worst thing the teacher could say to his students. This multi-ethnic group of troublemakers, cynics, and egoists have already seized the classroom, and if he's not careful they will seize his career and throw it out the window.

The Class, an extraordinarily gripping feature by the great French director Laurent Cantet, is a must-see for college students and teachers alike, and absolutely essential viewing for anyone who feels the urge to make a career in education.

It is, for me, a fascinating film, as my parents, my aunt and uncle, and my grandmother were all teachers, so I've grown up in and around classrooms, teachers' lounges, and parent-teacher conferences. The Class feels more authentic, thoughtful, and inspiring than any other school-related film I've seen, including To Sir With Love, Mr. Holland's Opus, Dangerous Minds, and the aforementioned Dead Poets Society. The jury at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival gave the movie their highest award—the Palme d'Or.

But don't be scared off by the fact that it's subtitled, or that it's bound to one classroom for most of its running time. The Class is as intense as The Bourne Ultimatum, offers more fodder for discussion about modern multi-ethnic societies than Crash, and is enlivened by performances so convincing you may suspect that this is "Reality Big-Screen."

Francois Begaudeau as himself; his class

It is almost, but not quite, a documentary. The French title—Entre les Murs—comes from the book that inspired it, an account by François Bégaudeau of his experiences teaching Parisian middle schoolers. Part of the film's remarkably persuasive authenticity comes from the fact that Bégaudeau does, in fact, play the part of the teacher—Mr. Marin. It's a territory he clearly understands. He and the young actors improvised a great deal of the dialogue, "playing classroom" while Cantet's cameras caught wonderful moments of spontaneity and revealing subtleties.

"The Enlightenment will be tough for them," Marin laments to a colleague. And yet, we know that students like these once studied the Enlightenment and understood it. It's difficult to diagnose the students' apathy and anti-intellectual inclinations. Is it due to troubles at home? Increasing distractions? Lack of common experiences? The culture of "instant gratification"? Christian moviegoers may respond, "They need Jesus." And of course they do, but how will they ever come to appreciate him if no one is living as an imitation of Christ for them?

Whatever the case, it seems the definition of "teacher" has changed. Mr. Marin's job description has more in common with wrestlers than schoolteachers as I remember them.

Clearly, these students are suffering in the microcosm of France's contemporary melting pot, trying to cope with complex tensions—racial, ethnic, and economic. Their behavior is about defining and protecting their identities and egos; to stand up for their rights, they defend themselves with brash attitude. They mock Marin for his use of simple English names in chalkboard sentences. "What's with the Bills?" one asks, and then the students gang up to suggest better examples: "Aïssata! Fatou!"

And it's more than just a tension between European and African. Watch how an off-the-cuff reference to sports can spark a debate between two African students that exposes deeply rooted prejudice between their cultures.

Still, the many things that divide the students are trumped by the universal divide between the young and the old. Watch how the students gang up on Marin, like sharks when there's blood in the water, when he makes a careless mistake. Just as Coleman Silk in Robert Benton's The Human Stain sparked a scandal when he used the word "spooks" to describe students in absentia, so Marin's use of "skanky" sets events in motion that just might cost him his job. A young Muslim man from Mali called Souleymane, who guards himself with steely stares and stony silences, eventually challenges Marin by asking him if he's gay. Marin, to his credit, manages to turn the question into a fruitful exchange about propriety and privacy.

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