Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) Unless you're a hardcore David Lynch or Twin Peaks fan, stay way from this unnecessarily dark and humorless tale that's vastly inferior to the genius television show it comes from... and why'd they have to replace Donna?!
This Canadian movie came out in its home country in 2011--it was actually nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at last year's Oscars--but didn't get a Stateside theatrical release until 2012. Monsieur Lazhar is the story of an Algerian political refugee who becomes a schoolteacher in Montréal. The film explores the protagonist's relationship with his students, and how that reflects his insecurities about his home and his past.
It's very much a Debbie Downer kind of movie, in a good way. The film is understated and quiet. If you or someone close to you is a teacher, you'll appreciate Monsieur Lazhar. The movie also deals with the anxieties of immigration in a new and interesting way that I hadn't really seen in any film before. And the cinematography of wintry Montréal is gorgeous--my mom told me it reminded her of iconic Canadian children's book The Hockey Sweater.
