Best movie of this year hands down!

Good concept, poorly executed.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

I really liked this film despite it being, at times, preachy. Having been a social worker and now a school teacher and having worked with many dysfunctional families like the ones portrayed in the film, I could definitely relate to the overwhelmed and well-meaning kindergarten director. Although set in France, it sure looked like some of our American schools because of child abuse, substance abuse as well as an overly bureaucratic system that didn't seem to do anything to help. The acting was also a standout, as the characters were very believable and it looked in many ways more like a documentary starring real people than a film. About the only negatives I could see were the preachiness of the film at times and also the apparent message that more money needs to be spent to deal with these problems. Although having become VERY jaded by my experiences in the field, I don't think money is the answer but enforcing accountability by the politicians, social workers, parents and teachers is the key. As we see in the movie, it's VERY easy to come with excuses why NOT to work for change but actually doing something takes someone special.

A very mediocre French series "l'instit" contributed to giving the audience a false picture of the schoolteacher.In that poor sitcom ,actor Gerard Klein was some kind of superhero (on a motorcycle!) who acted like a pacifist Zorro or K2000.Bertrand Tavernier and his wonderful thespian ,Philippe Torreton,de la Comédie Française set the record straight.First of all,this is a true story,inspired by a schoolteacher's books.And Tavernier is an artist whose best works ("l'horloger de Saint-Paul" "la mort en direct" and his masterpiece" la vie et rien d'autre")deal with the dignity of man. And as the title says "the future begins today" as everything is possible when the man's young can still wonder,discover,and ... perhaps love the world before he discovers the darker side of it.Because ,for most of the children we meet in this movie,the darker side is at their door,inside their houses,and School is the only way for them of getting away with a somber future.There are courageous lines against the Champagne socialists -When the movie was released,there were commies in the French government-"I could have expected more from a communist mayor!" the teacher says to the notable who closes the canteen to the children whose family is no longer able to pay.There is a very realistic scene between the teacher and his inspector.Although the former 's work is admirable,the state employee slags him off because he's blind and deaf to the world outside him,all he wants to do is to climb the upper rungs of the social ladder .Never the inspector hints at the children's plight,his narrow-minded view remains abstract and completely mindless:how could a group of four year old toddlers be autonomous?A Tribute to the teachers ,who now more than ever need gratefulness and understanding,Tavernier's movie is deeply moving and deserves to be highly recommended.He equals Kenneth Loach here,not a small feat.

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

"Ca commence aujourd'hui" is a poetic film without poetry: Tavernier narrate the fictitious story in sober, cold, unspectacular pictures, that nevertheless move to tears.The social and emotional cruelties are not shown, but they are always existent and take shape in the mind of the spectator. Tavernier succeeds excellent in connecting individual and group destinies to portray a society that query the right of some children to exist. It's a very impressing and important film, because of its clear moral and unconditional declaration of love to the children.