It All Starts Today

Set in a French mining town on the verge of economic death, Bertrand Tavernier's It All Starts Today depicts the frustrations and triumphs of kindergarten teacher Daniel Lefebvre (Philippe Torreton), whose students are the children of unemployed laborers and alcoholics. While he'd like to concentrate on reading and mathematics, much of his time is spent dealing with situations ranging from lice infestations to abuse and incest. Comparisons with the working class populism of Ken Loach's films are obvious, and Tavernier isn't above tugging at the viewer's heartstrings with images of adorable moppets in danger of being crushed by an uncaring bureaucracy. Still, in this gloomy, soot-caked town where the sun never ever shines, the immensely sympathetic Torreton provides the film with an emotional core that reinforces the agitprop. A powerful articulation of childhood innocence (and its loss) and the dedication of talented educators, It All Starts Today is highly recommended. (D. Fienberg)