The Class (2007)

Very disappointing...

Overrated

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

What I liked about the movie: I was personally affected: I was a bit of a Joosep during some of my school years (being good at French and liking ballads didn't really help my standing). I thus could very much relate to the feeling of powerlessness and hopelessness and it brought some of these feelings back. However now I can look at that time from the point of my life I am in now which makes it all less terrible - The depiction of complete injustice that eats at the audience and hopefully makes those that help in producing such injustice realize what is going on.The troubled father-son relationship and the inability to communicate. Again something I can relate to very well - The movie has the right length to tell its story. It is never rushed but also never drags plot point out for too long - By the end of the movie I was rooting for them to start shooting. A film must be well-made for me to want someone to commit a horrible act. I felt almost relieved when the inevitable finally happened - The inability of the adults to act and to understand the gravity of the situation. The reactions of the teachers and parents are abysmal in many respects.Let's be real: I watched a movie in Estonian.. I felt really arty after that ;) What I didn't like about the movie: Character development is a little weak, especially with Kaspar. If the 7-day plot isn't meant to be symbolic, for Kaspar to turn from respected clique-member to cold-blooded killer in 7 days seems implausibleThe shooting scene seems implausible in a lot of aspects: why don't any of the students who clearly see the gun when they enter the school say anything, why does Kaspar continue to shoot when he realizes as he says himself: "I killed a girl from the 8th grade"The acting wasn't on par but as I understand most of them were not professional actors which is a symbolic touch that makes the below-par acting forgivable Some of the humiliation seems a bit exaggerated especially as some of the attackers don't really have motivation to do these things and to go to yet another level of humiliation every single day All in all: A very good movie with some character development, plot and acting flaws, which still deserves it's 9 rating because of what it made me feel and how it reminded me of my past and because of the direct and mind-boggling way it manages to depict injustice.

Holy mother! It doesn't matter what kind of person you are; if you watch this movie, you will experience the same feelings as the characters: despair, depression, anger, self-disregard, fear and courage.During the movie I cried for the sorrow of a certain character, while hating the other for his actions. Every scene seems to bring a new feeling and it's played so natural as if it was happening 5 feet away from you.Beside that, this film will not force you into old movie clichés, or unreal life heroes or acts of bravery and strenght we're used to see is most of western cinema. This is why this has such a great impact on the viewer: it's real!I don't speak estonian, but the actors, despite very young went perfectly.

This film is remarkable, shocking, frightening, but most of all it was truthful and made without desire to sensationalise the practice of school bullying. I had to look up Estonia on Google Earth before watching this film; I knew it to be close to Latvia, but then I wasn't altogether sure where Latvia was, other than its proximity to Russia. That such a truthful and shocking film came out of this country is in itself remarkable, but that it was so very well made is even more so.One of my sons was ritually and regularly bullied in high school (taunted, bashed, called a 'poof') and I watched this confident boy turn into a scared, then cynical and angry adolescent. Whatever I did to stop this happening eventually resulted in an escalation of the bullying. This is the nature of bullies - they are determined to maintain power over others, since without this they perceive themselves as failures.In "Klass" we never gain any insight into why it is Anders and Paul have chosen dominance and violence as their weapon of choice. It is documented that the bullied often become bullies themselves, so we can only contemplate their possible real reasons for expressing such violent hatred against their 'freak of choice', the sensitive Joosep. The violence escalates as the film progresses, and it becomes clear that those who stand by and watch are probably relieved to not be the one on the receiving end.This film is very well made. The acting is always believable, the cast well-chosen, and there is little left in the final cut which is not absolutely necessary to the narrative. Visually it is often frightening as the viewer is drawn into each scene, and camera work and editing work are excellent. By the time Joosep and his accomplice, Kaspar, are at a point where they decide to take drastic action, I was feeling as trapped and hopeless as they were.A must-see for everyone in the Western world. It will shock you, but perhaps that is not altogether a bad thing.

I saw it once again on yesterday. It's really tough movie which has been made for shocking. And it definitely fills that role. Storyline is rather easy and predictable but the action is tough to watch. Joosep was a quiet student who wasn't very social nor athletic which led up others bullying him. In the film Joosep gets sabotaged by the main bully and the whole class is suddenly against him. A new boy Kaspar starts to defend him and later they are both constantly terrorized by the main bully Anders and his loyal followers in the class.The most tragic part is obviously the violence and how from the smallest sabotage an entire class can stand up against one boy. It shows how the entire class ignores or even enjoys it. Although some girls sometimes said that Joosep had had enough, they still really didn't care about the violence. It was also sad to see those who wanted to be Anders' friends followed his every move. The best example how majority of class bootlicked Anders is this in my opinion.ANDERS: Why did you defended Joosep today ? KASPAR: I didn't defend him. PAUL: Hey, if Anders told that you defended him then it was so.Now some things that may distract you a little bit. The number of form wasn't actually mentioned but in description it says that Kaspar and Joosep were 16 years old which means they must have been in 9th or 10th form but this kind of bullying takes usually place in 6th or 7th form. Also they were a bit too brutal with Joosep and Kaspar sometimes.But these are small things compared how touching this movie was. Although few years ago it was reported that some boys had got ideas from the beach scene and actually bullied some boys in such way here in Estonia, I believe that the effect has been positive. This film really makes you think about important values and your own life, whether you've been or are in Anders', Joosep's or Paul's position. All in all it is really a great movie, it is made to shock you and it will. 8/10