“Monsieur Lazhar,” 26 October 2012 (2011), DVD (in French with subtitles.) Based on a one-man stage play, this movie by Phillipe Falardieu (director and writer) places a grieving man at the center of a class trying to cope with the terrible death of their teacher. Bachir Lazhar, an Algerian refugee, arrives with his own history to cope with and must make his way through this strange world in Montreal, Canada, where he has applied for asylum. Wonderfully acted by the adults and the children involved, it is thoughtful, poignant, dignified, and terribly sad and painful in places. It challenges our bureaucratic, distanced, other-worldly rejection of physical contact as normal and challenges us to care for one another as people. It is never preachy. It is a wonderful film. It was nominated for an Oscar for best foreign language film and lost to “A Separation”. See this film.