THE LESSON by Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov

THE LESSON is a story of universal resonance, despite it simultaneously being deeply rooted in a small Bulgarian town, and representing an oppressed working class - oppressed by dodgy employers, banks and careless institutions. But it is also a film that examines the human condition, in a starking realistic way that does not refrain with portraying its characters, including its leading character whose story we follow, as being plagued by their own drawbacks, most of which come from a fair share of pride, stubbornness or downright ignorance, and sometimes a mixture of all three. 

 

THE LESSON is the story of a young schoolteacher and mother, who is driven to the edge by growing dept and the threat of impending eviction. Unaided by her incompetent husband, and by her own bullheadedness, she finds herself on a constant race against time, which she must face on her own. It's not so hard to accept the fact that this film by KRISTINA GROZEVA and PETAR VALCHANOV was indeed based on a true story, but at the same time, it is just as rewarding to see that it doesn't particularly feel restratined to the attachment of the chronicles of a newspaper article. In fact, all this does is highlight the extent of a research that conveys the choice of the film's makers to come as close to a genuine representation of a slice of real life drama as possible. 

 

Such evidence of authenticity is evident in the style employed. This is a far from being the type of film that manipulates the emotions of its viewers. It makes no use of music, and its dramatic aspects are stripped down to a bare minumum. The pace of the film is rather slow, but nevertheless the constant rhythm of the film makes THE LESSON incredibly gripping and intense. After an admittedly slow start, which is easily explained by the fact that the film doesn't make use of the usual introduction that eases the viewer into the film but rather throws us right into the world of the leading character herself, there is never a dull moment, and some of its twists can be quite unexpected, hence ironic.

Irony, after all, is also huge part of the film, illustrated by one of the driving themes of THE LESSON that deals with morality. As the schoolteacher's ordeal unravels, she is also hellbent in finding out the sudent who has been stealing money from his classmates. While there is no accentuation of the melodramatic aspects of the film, at least not to the usual easy cinematic standards, it is quite easy to form a sympathetic attachment to its leading character. 

 

This is also thanks to a powerhouse performance by MARGITA GOSHEVA - there is no reason not to compare her performance in THE LESSON with the Academy Award nominated turn by MARION COTILLARD in TWO DAYS ONE NIGHT by the DARDENNE BROTHERS. In fact, there are reasons to believe that GOSHEVA's overpowering presence in THE LESSON, aided by the fact that she is essentially alone whether out of her own skepticism or not, is actually a more delicate one, and ranks among the best performances delivered by an actress this year. It is almost impossible to imagine the film without her - her performance is as real as the film itself, restrained and yet powerful, full of warmth and determination that absolutely achieve the impossible task of making her endearing to the audience despite her obvious human flaws.

 

THE LESSON (UROK) by KRISTINA GROZEVA and PETAR VALCHANOV is out in UK cinemas now.