valis1949 IT ALL STARTS TODAY (dir. Betrand Tavernier) has the look and feel of an actual documentary, and the film delineates the trials and tribulations of the director of an impoverished municipal kindergarten in rural France. With almost no parental or government support, he and his teachers try to make a positive difference in the community against almost insurmountable odds. The film is a heartfelt and poignant Call To Arms for a better and more effective strategy for the social service sector of the French economy. The Populist appeal of IT ALL STARTS TODAY is very reminiscent of the English director, Ken Loach. IT ALL STARTS TODAY is easily one of the finer films about primary education ever made.

groggo Bertrand Tavernier is a highly skilled writer and director, and here, with co-scenarist Dominique Sampiero, he comes at you head-on: if you want to find the REAL heroes in our society, don't look for cops, robbers, movie stars or sports figures. The REAL heroes could be living next door to you, or you could be one yourself. You just haven't received societal canonization yet.Given the material, It All Starts Today could easily have been a mawkish melodrama, a kind of Good Will Hunting with kindergarten kids. The marvelous thing about Tavernier's direction is that, if anything, he understates what he so sincerely wants to tell you. That's no small feat when you have an army of adorable kids flitting in and out of camera range.This is a deceptively simple story about a committed but deeply frustrated schoolteacher in northern France named Daniel Lefebvre (played by Philippe Torreton). Faced with a gutted coal industry in his home town that has left more than one-third of the citizens unemployed, Lefebvre fights hard to motivate and inspire parents to keep their children in school. The film doesn't preach, it doesn't rant or rave: it merely SHOWS you the exasperation that all but consumes everyone in the wake of economic near-disaster.Torreton is absolutely devastating and charismatic as the frantic Lefebvre. He just takes over the screen even as he becomes part of it You don't believe he's acting, which someone said is the sign of a great actor.What Tavernier is saying is extremely important in this ridiculous age of pop culture, where no-talent 'artists' grab attention and the emotions of young people. They are heroic simply because they're famous, and they're famous because they're heroic. Or something. Watch this film and you'll see teachers, social workers, parents and children who are the REAL heroes of the world.

Pedro-72 This film is an excellent commentary of the sheer difficulties in trying to improve a bad situation when the whole system - from the families involved to the political authorities - are effectively working against you. It shows that it is vital to persevere because to give up would be awful. Its ultimately optimistic about the strength of the human spirit but scathing about the corrupting and degrading influence of the system.The only criticisms are that the camera technique was very fluid which meant that the picture was always moving up and down, in and out of focus. This was interesting but quite taxing on the eyes. Also, it was perhaps half an hour longer than it could have been so it dragged somewhat in places. But a very good film. 4/5

Baloe Social movie, situated in the depressing former mine-towns of northern France. A local school-principal tries to improve the self-esteem of the children and their parents, some of them even without electricity at home. His girlfriend, a sculptress, plans a big multi-racial school-party. Very realistic, but I regretted the fact that the director didn't take the opportunity to play with colors and images.