The feature film about violence at an ordinary Estonian school, Klass, is skillfully camouflaged as a documentary. It seems that the camera is watching a typical school outcast for a long time — the ridiculous and lethargic guy Josep (Part Uusberg), who patiently endures bullying from his classmates. His torturers are led by handsome Anders (Lauri Pedaya). Unexpectedly for everyone — and indeed for himself — Caspar (Vallo Kirs) stands up for the eternal sacrifice. At first, not so much for Yosep, but out of a desire to please the prettiest girl in class. But when he stands up once, Caspar realizes that he has faced a tough choice: either he apologizes for the rebellion and continues to recognize Anders' authority and strength, or he begins a life of his own, separate from the class. Kaspar chooses the latter, and his quarrel with Anders escalates into a serious conflict. The scene on the beach, when classmates sexually abuse Caspar and Yosep, is the climax of the film. This is followed by a terrible denouement. Josip steals a weapon from his hunter-freaked father's safe. The whole massacre in the school cafeteria ends...
Ilmar Raag wrote the script that there are no winners in a school war together with young artists. Numerous discussions and rehearsals accompanied the entire filming period. Hence the extreme reliability of the characters. The story played out by Estonian schoolchildren was warmly received on RuNet. Here's what I read on a LiveJournal: “The film is almost about my native 11th B. Those who recently graduated from high school will understand how real everything that happens in the film is. The film is real and vital. It raises forgotten emotions. Well played. I recommend everyone to watch it. The film will also serve as a good lesson for parents and teachers.”
Screenwriter and director Ilmar Raag: “The guy said he doesn't cry anymore”
An “News” columnist met with the author of the film “Class” Vita Ramm.
The question is: Is the film really based on real events?
The answer is: This has not happened in Estonia itself. But we remember the tragic events at Columbine College in 1999, when two students, 17 and 18 years old, shot several dozen classmates and teachers and committed suicide themselves. Columbine syndrome can affect different countries. Recently, in Tuusula, Finland, a teenager shot eight of his classmates and teacher. So our film is not so much about a specific event as about the causes of school violence. My collaborators, whom I found in various school theaters, brought their own experience — not only from school but also in life — to history. The guys knew the subject of the study very well.
IN: An unusual way to create a screenplay — together with performers...
ABOUT: I went to a good school in Hollywood. Every major studio has special departments that deal with auteur films. While in blockbusters, plot or character flaws can be covered up with expensive computer special effects, in an original film, everything is based on the script. A director must be 100% ready to shoot, also because the budget is always limited. “Class” cost 100,000 euros. We shot the film very quickly, in 14 days. You can say that the guys filmed for free, for the idea. We only fed them during filming.
IN: In the film, you and your co-authors — students — see the reason for the shooting in the bullying of classmates. Isn't the explanation too straightforward?
ABOUT: I remember my own school experience very well. I didn't forget my military service with all the delights of hazing. And I can say that the roots of violence are the same everywhere. It's not because the guys who took up arms and shot their peers were reading the wrong books, browsing the wrong sites on the Internet, or watching the wrong movies. This explanation makes it easier for adults who have overlooked the onset of a conflict situation. A shooting is always a desperate response to violence.
IN: The movie is very tough. Why would you want such a scary episode on the beach?
ABOUT: While discussing the script, I asked the guys: what could happen and then they don't want to live? Their responses included public sexual assault. And then I remembered that my student had talked about a similar situation. This is how this beach scene appeared in the film. The guys bravely played the stage and shot close-ups, but after the third take, Kaspar asked him to stop and said he didn't cry anymore. A professional psychologist was present on the set all the time. And this helped the children get back from the world of cinema to reality.
IN: In your movie, adults are either aggressive like Yosep's father or helpless like Caspar's grandmother. And the homeroom teacher does not even want to delve into the situation in the classroom.
ABOUT: It was not my goal to sentence adults. There are simply situations where outside interference is really powerless. Teenagers don't like to turn to teachers for help, afraid that they will also be credited with snitch. A modern school needs qualified psychologists who are able to track tensions within classrooms. But even the presence of full-time psychologists does not give an absolute guarantee that there will be no leader who asserts himself through bullying. And most of the class will follow him without standing up for the victim. This is a feature of teenage behavior.
http://izvestia.ru/news/331286
Psychologist's review
Tatyana Lapshina
It's amazing that the movie “Class” has just caught my eye. A tough film about two phenomena at once: bullying and “high school shooters”.
Bullying is shown at its most dramatic moments — when the victim has already been chosen and put up with it. The balance of power is changed by a newcomer who comes to class, who doesn't like her and is not familiar with the idea of bullying. This creates a very believable picture. Teachers don't notice what's going on until the last moment. The victims hide that something is not right at all. Parents show little or no involvement, or they do so in an authoritarian and violent manner, making the situation worse. Participants and witnesses consider what is happening to be normal. They call it a “joke”. Rare voices against are almost inaudible. The result is a hopeless picture, somewhat reminiscent of a story from E. Rulanna, who I recently wrote about. It's even more believable with a shooter. Joseph's parents are extremely reserved and ridiculously interested in his life. This combines indifference with the father's periodic authoritarian attempts to “raise his son to become a man”. Indifference+cruelty+preached machismo is a very bad cocktail in a house where there are weapons and a teenager knows how to use them.
The film has many scenes of humiliation and physical abuse. The terrible ending is logical and, of course, carries a moral burden that makes it very difficult to be alone after the film is over. In this sense, this is good material that can be used for pedagogical purposes.
The film has a sequel — the seven-episode series Class: Life After. It contains a little more about trauma; about families who lost a child; about the guilt of survivors, etc. The series inherits the film's smooth storytelling, colors and good work with music. It is a work of art in itself. At the same time, it removes some of the weight left by the film. By repeatedly showing that it is possible to live with it.
A slightly more discreet video about bullying and how it happens. It finally has a good ending.
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