Immerse yourself in the life of students and teachers at a boarding school in Kells, Ireland in this film devoid of captions and voice-over narration—cinema verité style. Filmmakers Neasa Ni Chianain and David Rane let the footage and dialogue speak for themselves as we don’t even learn the school’s name until we spy a Headfort School emblem on one of the boy’s shirts. The story begins with married teachers John and Amanda Leyden who have 46 years of teaching experience and live with their three large dogs in a simple home on boarding school grounds comfortably talking to one another as he casually smokes a cigarette and she eats breakfast.
The film then moves to open-day classes as students (ages 7-13) listen to the headmaster (a former student of the Leydens) welcoming them. The film meanders along both inside classrooms and spartan dormitory rooms and on the lush grounds, as viewers watch students and teachers interacting. In one touching scene, a staff member monitoring dorm rooms comforts a young boy who is homesick.
As Mrs. Leyden teaches her fourth-form students, she is surprised to receive a birthday gift from her husband who teaches music and Latin, among other subjects. A couple of students, Ted who is dyslexic, and Eliza who is a good student but seems reticent to talk with her teachers, are seen a bit more than others but none of the kids receive special treatment. The seasons pass and we see students playing cricket, enjoying a snowfall, building forts, rehearsing musical numbers, and working toward a performance of Hamlet directed by Mrs. Leyden, who casts Ted as a ghost.
Initially, the program seems a little idiosyncratic but as the show continues, we settle into the ebb and flow of school life at Headfort where student life centers around the imposing Georgian-style building that houses classrooms, dorm rooms, offices, and theater. Final scenes with students learning about their futures (“I got into Harrow,” “You’re into Eton”) and saying sad goodbyes amidst tears and hugs are heartwarming endings to this recommended title that casts the school in a good light.
Academic libraries should include this documentary in their film collections to introduce education students to various teaching styles. Patrons of public libraries may enjoy basking in the daily life of an international group of students at Ireland’s only boarding school for younger students. Highly recommended.