We saw this at the 2023 Ghant (Belgium) film festival
Line of Events
Brussels teacher Amal encourages students' a passion for reading and free speech, despite the risks. Her bold approach leaves a mark on students and families. First, I have to admit that I started off on the wrong foot, at least for the first half of the running time. A bit disconnected from the story: is there something they want to tell us?? It is indeed very unfortunate that religious fanaticism and fundamentalism have such an overwhelming influence on so many people that they will go out of their way to threaten or even eliminate those who do not believe.
Moreover, now positively
My initial problem with the story in question was that I mistakenly assumed that the filmmakers were trying to inform us that there are people who put the Koran and Sharia above national law and thus ignore what we consider normal. (this is what we call “civilized”). tolerant of other beliefs. Now I stand corrected, knowing that they did not preach. First of all, I was impressed by the believable cast and even the believable circumstances within the school, where a significant part of the story takes place.
Core issues become apparent and drive the story forward, unfortunately with no obvious way out
Likewise for parents and the neighborhood, which can be located in any major city in any country. For me, the developments were given real momentum due to the unexpected turns of events, which kept the story afloat and kept me interested in the proceedings. Second, what also stuck were the growing dilemmas of teachers and school principals, which became more and more complex with each passing moment. meet. These meetings deeply involved me in what was happening and showed how difficult it is to decide on a balanced approach to the issues on the agenda.
All this results in an immeasurable media storm
Thirdly, we are witnessing the powerful influence of social media. It’s not just the direct threat that matters here. Also, the fact that everyone is talking about you, without knowing the real facts, but still forming opinions that spread like wildfire. It’s easy to like a post, even if you don’t completely agree with it, it can be done quickly without thinking. Moreover, writing negative text is also very easy, which is enhanced by the anonymity associated with unverified accounts.
We see believable characters in their roles, even in unsympathetic roles
Before the internet there was the churchyard, the butcher shop and the pub to exchange rumours, no, we have a much faster tool with greater coverage and speed. However, there is no happy ending, considering the circumstances it is probably Mission Impossible. It doesn’t leave us with a solution, but is there one at all? All in all, not a documentary about how fundamentalists are a growing problem, as I’m sure the filmmakers now know we already knew. This is a real story in a real school and in a real school, with real teachers and real students who have families at home who are also involved.
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