A level of urgency and striking relevancy. Just like the singular way in which the director manages to dupe the audience, to make us open our eyes, to make us face the truth for once and for all, because it's about time!

CINEUROPA Sébastien Marnier’s second feature borrows stylistic devices from horror to create an atmosphere of suffocating paranoia.

SCREENDAILY

School’s Out is a singular work. The mise-en-scene allows the viewer to dive into Pierre’s nightmares and turn this drama into a true Kafskaesque fable.

A VOIR A LIRE

Unnerving, provocative, and fiercely contemporary, School’s Out is a political and existential thriller that’s journey is hypnotic, and that’s final destination is perfectly terrifying.

PAJIBA

Director Sébastien Marnier has directed a genuinely frightening thriller, the scariest proposition of which is that the children who have been failed by generations past may not all go quietly into the environmental disaster we have built for them to call a future.

SCREEN MAYHEM If there’s one thing that School’s Out does fantastically, it’s keeping its audience intrigued at every turn. Red herrings and fever dreams abound as the film builds to its climax, seen through Romain Carcanade’s brilliant cinematographic lens and soundtracked by Zombie Zombie’s sparse, spine-tingling synths.

THE PANOPTIC

VENICE 2018 Sconfini Review: School’s Out by Bénédicte Prot 04/09/2018-VENICE2018:FrenchdirectorSébastienMarniergivesanapocalyptictonetoadisturbingconundruminvolvingschoolkids

Laurent Lafitte and the young actors in L'Heure de la sortie

The first scene sets the tone – an odd combination of the banal and the powerfully tragic,continuityand interruption.Thefilmbegins inasilentclassroom,wherestudentsaretakingatest. Paper rustles. A teacher sits at the back of a room,watching their tilted heads as theyconcentrate,beforesuddenlythrowinghimselfoutofthewindow.Wewillnevergetananswerto this final gesture shown at the beginning of the film, but themystery surrounding it willperpetuatetheentirefilm,shiftingfromoneodditytothenext,wipingawayallsuspensefromtheentireplot. Inhis second feature filmSchool'sOut [+]– selectedatVenice in theeclecticSconfinisection–SébastienMarnier,originallyanovelist,concoctsaveryparticularclimatethatplungestheaudienceintoaninterestingsituationofworriedsearching,becausebeyondafewsharpsalientpeaks,thestoryoffersnoconcretepointsofreference:everynewelementevadesusassoonasthenextonecomesalong.The film is also about the defenestrated substitute teacher Pierre’s (Laurent Lafitte) owninvestigation,withoutreallyknowingwhathe'slookingfor.Hebeginstonoticebizarreandviolentbehaviour in theclassofgiftedstudents,andstarts tospyonthem,allowing theaudiencetodiscover,alongwithPierre,theirinexplicablerituals(filmedfromtheirlaptops).Andalthoughinthesemoments,silencedominates,theawarenesswehaveoftheimpermeabilityoftheuniversetheseschoolchildrenbelongtoisshocking,becauseweexperienceitentirelysubjectively,fromPierre’spointofview,stillayoungmanhimself,inasense(heisonlyfortyyearsold,heisstilldoinghisthesisandhistattoosmakehimseemfairly“cool”…)asifthesescenesweretheprecisemomentinwhichhemeasuredthegapbetweenhimselfandtheseyoungchildren,thefuturegeneration(whichconsidersDVDstobe"vintage").

ButMarnierdoesn't stop there.Hemakes theaudience feel this total separationandwall ofmisunderstanding between the generations in its entirety thanks to the young teacher’sperspective,andhedoessoinordertotellusaboutthisfuturegeneration,theadolescentsoftoday, represented by these gifted pupils, who are, in fact, "different". They seem to knoweverythingandhopefornothing.Buthowcouldthey,whenfacedwithallthevideosofecologicaldisasterstheyhavecompiled,which,allthingsconsidered,leavenodoubtintheirmindsaboutwhat’sinstorefortheirterrifying"era"(touseoneofthestudent’sownwords)whiletheadults–whohavepasseddownthisworld to them– tend to trivialiseeverything inorder tobetterignoreit(thedenialoftheteachersandPierre'sboyfriendinrelationtotheabnormalityofeventsischaracteristic).

"It'stoolate,there'snofuture.Youdon'twanttofacethetruth,"saysonestudentinthemiddleofthefilm,andthefilm'sfinaldesignisalreadyevidentinthissentence:totransformanxietyintothefuzzyoutlinesit’sbeenconveyingsinceitselectroshockbeginning,withalevelofurgencyandstrikingrelevancy.Justlikethesingularwayinwhichthedirectormanagestodupetheaudience,tomakeusopenoureyes,tomakeusfacethetruthforonceandforall,becauseit'sabouttime!

School’s Out was produced by Avenue B Productions. Celluloid Dreams is handling the film'sinternationalsales.

http://www.cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/359677

REVIEWS'School'sOut':VeniceReviewBYWENDYIDE31AUGUST2018

Savearticle AsupplyteacherbecomesobsessedwithagroupofcreepyteensinSebastien

Marnier’ssecondfeature

Dir.SébastienMarnier.France.2018.104minsTheunbridgeabledividebetweentwogenerations–agroupofeliteteenagersataprivateschoolandthe40-year-oldsubstituteteacherwhobecomesfixatedonthem–isabreedinggroundforfearandsuspicion.SébastienMarnier’ssecondfeature,looselybasedona2002novelbyChristopheDufossé,borrows stylisticdevices fromhorror to createanatmosphereof suffocatingparanoia.Althoughasweatilyeffectivemoodpiece,thefilm’splottingstumblesslightlytowardstheendofthethirdact.

Haneke’sTheWhiteRibbonisadramatictouchstone

With its teennihilismandoppressiveaestheticof long,airless summerdays, thepicturehas somekinshipwithEvaHusson’sBangGang:AModernLoveStory,althoughnotthesamesexualshockvalue.Thefilm’sslipperyrefusaltofitneatlyintoanyoneparticulargenremakesitnotquiteapsychologicalhorrorfilm,althoughitobliquelyreferencestheoeuvreofJohnCarpenter.Italsohasaheadysenseofheightenedandtwistedrealitywhichdistancesitfromconventionalthrillers.Thefilmislikelytoplaybestwithaudiencesopentoslicklycraftedpictureswhichdon’tquiteadheretogenreconventions.Pierre(LaurentLafitte,Elle)isbringsanoutsider’seyetothedynamicsofStJoseph,aschoolwith“anexcellentreputation”,theheadmasterisatpainstostress.Draftedinasasupplyteacher,heexpectstofindchildrentraumatisedbytheattemptedsuicideofhispredecessor,whojumpedfromawindow

infrontofthem.Instead,heistroubledbytheinscrutableandunnervingChildrenOfTheCorn-styleassuranceof thekids,all selectedfor theirexceptional intellectualabilities. Inparticular, there isaclosed-circle cliqueof six teenagers,who set Pierre’s nervesonedgewith their secrecy andair ofmatter-of-factsuperiority.There’sanambiguitytothewaythekidsaredepictedwhichbringswithitahintofrealthreat:Haneke’sTheWhiteRibbonisadramatictouchstone.Pierrestartstostalkthem,witnessingaritualisticseriesoftestsandordealsthattheystoicallyendure.AndhestumblesonacollectionofDVDswhichedittogetherfootageofatrocitiesandend-of-daysimagery,withwarningsofsociety’scollectivesuicide.Meanwhile,hisfellowteachersaredisengagedandmoreinterestedinbeersanddancingonafridaynightthanthealoof,self-radicalisedkidsintheircare.Rattledbytheteens,Pierrestartstofeelpersonallypersecutedbythem.A retro-electronic score is themostobviousnod to1980shorrormovies in a filmwhichalsousesanamorphiclensestodistortandbendtheinteriors,andarecurringmotifofbeadsofanxioussweat.AsPierrebecomesincreasinglytroubled,hisownpersonalspaceseemstorebelagainsthim.Tapwateris tainted brown, his electricity supply falters and cockroaches invade his apartment (it’s nocoincidencethatthedissertationheiscurrentlylabouringoverisaboutFranzKafka).Theclammilyhallucinatoryqualitiesmakethepicturesodistinctive.Alsoeffectiveisachillingcoda,inwhichthegenerationalschismisfinallyovercomeinthefaceofaunifyingtragedy.

https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/schools-out-venice-review/5131983.article

LesrisquesdumétierLe12septembre2018Unmélangedegenresquitientdeboutparcequ’ilinvoqueKafkaetsurtoutqu’ilfaitdesonambiancecauchemardesquelesupportd’unvéritablediscourspolitique.5671abonnés

• Réalisateur:SébastienMarnier• Acteurs:PascalGreggory,LaurentLafitte,EmmanuelleBercot,GrégoryMontel,Gringe• Genre:Thriller• Nationalité:Français• Distributeur:HautetCourt• Datedesortie:9janvier2019• Durée:1h34mn• Festival:L’Étrangefestival2018

L'argument:LorsquePierreHoffmanintègreleprestigieuxcollègedeSaintJosephildécèle,chezles3e1,unehostilitédiffuseetuneviolencesourde.Est-ceparcequeleurprofesseurdefrançaisvientdesejeterparlafenêtreenpleincours?Parcequ’ilssontuneclassepiloted’enfantssurdoués?Parcequ’ilssemblentterrifiésparlamenaceécologiqueetavoirperdutoutespoirenl’avenir?Delacuriositéàl’obsession,Pierrevatenterdepercerleursecret...

Notreavis :S’ilestunmétierpropiceàuneobservationdecetélémentsymptomatiquede l’époquequesont lestroublesdelajeunesse,c’estassurémentceluideprofesseur.Ici,leprofdefrançaisremplaçants’appellePierreetonleretrouvesouslestraitsdeLaurentLafitte,décidémentjamaislàoùonl’attend.MaiscequirendcetteHeuredelaSortiesisingulière,cen’estpastantcetenseignantmaisdavantagesesélèvesquiontlaparticularitéd’apparteniràuneclassedesurdoués.Uneparticularitéqueleréalisateurexploitecommeunesourced’aggravationdeshabituellesfrictionsintergénérationnelles.Mais,davantagequedejoueraveclesmalentendusquipeuventnaîtreentreunadulteetdesadolescentspourenfaireenunecomédietellequ’onenadéjàvudesdizaines,SébastienMarnierajugébondelesfairefigurerviauneambianceoppressante,allantjusqu’àfairejonglersonfilmaveclescodesdufantastique.MaintenantquelesuccèsdeGraveaprouvéquelepublicfrançaisétaitprêtàaccueillirdesproductionsquisoientàmi-cheminentrelecinémad’auteuretuncinémadegenre,Marniern’aeuaucunscrupuleàillustrerlaparanoïadesonpersonnageprincipalavec l’appuid’unhabillagesonoreparticulièrementanxiogène.EnplusdecettemusiquesignéeparZombieZombie,quelqueseffetsdemiseenscènenousplongentmêmedanslescauchemarsdePierreettransformentalors cedramesocialenvéritable fablekafkaïenne. Laprésence récurrentedecafards,évoquant LaMétamorphose,estl’undesélémentslespluscaractéristiquesquiimposentlacomparaisonà«l’auteurpragois»surquiceprofesseurestjustemententrainderédigerunethèse.

©2018LaurentChampoussin.Tousdroitsréservés.

Au-delàdelamiseenimagesdelapeurdupersonnageprincipal,queviennentalimenterdescoupsdefilanonymes,ainsiquesonsentimentd’impuissancefaceauxviolencesqu’ilconstateparmisesélèves,lescénariosecaractériseavanttoutparl’attitudedecestroisièmessurdoués,différentsdeceuxduromandul’histoireestpourtantadapté.Or,c’estjustementleurcomportementinextricablementhostileetl’enquêtequeleurnouveauprofvamenersurleursactivitésextrascolairesquivontdécalerlecœurdusujetdepuislapeintured’uneinstitutionscolaireloind’êtreaussi

exemplairequ’ilyparaîtàunvéritableconteécologique.Parcequ’ils sont soi-disant surdoués, on a forcémentdumal à donner tort à ces gaminsquand ils évoquentuneprochainefindumonde.Etleurfatalisme,Pierrenedevraitpasnonpluspouvoirlenier,luiquiobserveauquotidiensonélectricitévacilleretsoneaudurobinetpourrir.Dèslorsqueladramaturgiemettouteslescartessurlatable–cequiarriveaprèsundéveloppementassezlongcarchargéenrabâchages,maisc’estexactementcequel’onattendd’unprof–,etquel’enjeudépasseleseulcadrescolaire,lefilmsetransformedoncbeletbiendanssesdernièresminutes un véritable thriller. C’est cette façon de sauter d’un genre à l’autre, sans pour autant faire vaciller lacohérenceglobale,quirendcefilmsiatypiquedanslepaysagefrançais.Pourtant,lefaitquelesrelationsentrelespersonnages(qu’ils’agissedesprofsoudesélèves)soientaussiconvenuesrendlerésultatpeusurprenant.Lediscourssociologiquequi décrit cette jeunesse dorée se considérant commeune génération sacrifiée et le plande fin quiannoncequ’ilvautmieuxêtreensemblepour faire faceaudrameécologique,restentdeuxpiliersqui fontquecemélangedegenresglobalementmaîtriséresteavanttoutunvéritablefilmd’auteur,quiaseschancesdetrouversonpublic.L'HEUREDELASORTIE-BandeannonceJulienDugois

https://www.avoir-alire.com/l-etrange-festival-l-heure-de-la-sortie-la-critique-du-film

FantasticFestReview:'School'sOut'IsAnExistentialThrillerAliveWithDreadAndDarkHumor

ByKristyPuchko|Film|September27,2018|5Comments

ImagineacruelandcontemporaryflipofDeadPoetsSociety,andyou’llstartscratchingatthedark

heartoftheFrenchthrillerSchool’sOut.ItsstorycentersonPierre(LaurenceLafitte),adashingand

caringsubstituteteacherwhosetaskedwithusheringaclassofhighly intelligentteensthroughthe

traumaofwitnessingtheirformerteacher’s in-classsuicideattempt.Butthis isnomelodramawith

tearful confessions and “O Captain! My Captain!” exaltations. The chillingly stoic students aren’t

interested inPierre’s concerns,evenwhenhe tries to rescue themfromviolentoutburstsby their

peers.Confounded,compelled,andabit freakedout, this suspicious substitutebegins to stalk the

class’scentralclique,andslowlyuncoverstheseteens’disturbingsecrets.

Directedby SébastienMarnier,School’sOut is onepartmystery, onepart dark comedy.As Pierre

follows Apolline (Luàna Bajrami) and her little cult of anarchist friends, he’s disturbed by their

fascination indevastation,pollution,andviolence.Hebeginstosuspectthattheirteacher’ssuicide

attempt wasn’t so random, and that these teens have something heinous planned for the fast-

approachinggraduationweekend.Butwhenhetriestosharehisconcerns,hisfellowteachersthink

he’s paranoid, bored, and looking for something exciting. Even the movie mocks his fear, giving

Apollineandhercrewsneeringremarksthatsparkbarksofaudiencelaughteratourterrorizedhero’s

expense.Butsomething’sgoingonhere.What’swiththephonecallsinthemiddleofthenight?Why

isBriceoftencoveredinbruises?What’swiththeDVDsthekidshaveburiedinanabandonedlot?

Theblendofsuspenseandspikedhumor isslipperyandstrange.You’reneverquitesurewhereto

plantyourfeetinthistwistedthriller.Yetforallitssurprises,School’sOut’smosthauntingmoments

aretheonesbasedinaquiet,all-too-commonreality.Ascreechingalarmripsthroughtheclassroom’s

stillness. Pierre looks—well—alarmed. He asks if it’s a fire drill. His class can barely hold their

frustrationwithhisignorance.It’sanactiveshooterdrill.Dispassionately,theyallgathertheirthings

andfiletothewallclosesttotheclassroomdoor,foldingtheirkneesuptotheirchests.Theyblockthe

doorwiththeirbodies,andstareblanklyasthealarmblares.Unprepared,Pierrejoinsthem,onlyto

bechastised.Heneedstoclearawayhisthingssotheterroristwouldassumetheclassroomisempty

iftheylookedthroughthedoor’swindow.Andputyourcellphoneonairplanemode.Youwouldn’t

wantanill-timedringtosignalyourlocationtoamercilessmassshooter.

This isthecruxofSchool’sOut,agenerationaldividebetweenthosewhogrewupwiththeblissful

ignoranceoflife-shatteringtraumathatcouldcomestrollingintoyourclassroomwithanautomatic

weapon, and Generation Z, the Stoneman Douglas generation who have to face this horrible

uncertaintyschooldayafterschoolday,alltooawareofhowuselesstheirguardiansareinprotecting

them.Pierre’sclassbelieveshe’salreadyfailedthem.Andtheircoldstaressendchillsthat’llfollowyou

outofthetheater.

Unnerving,provocative,andfiercelycontemporary,School’sOut isapoliticalandexistentialthriller

that’sjourneyishypnotic,andthat’sfinaldestinationisperfectlyterrifying.

http://www.pajiba.com/film_reviews/review-schools-out-is-an-existential-thriller-alive-with-dread-

and-dark-humor-.php

ARTSFESTIVALSFILMLONDONFILMFESTIVAL2018EJOAKLEYSEPTEMBER27,2018

London Film Festival 2018: School’s Out

SébastienMarnier’slatestofferingmaywearitsinfluencesonitssleeve–butasthesayinggoes,good

artistsborrowwhilegreatartistssteal,andSchool’sOutisnothinglessthangreat.

ThefirstthingweseeinSchool’sOutisalong,drawnoutmediumshotasthecamerastaresdirectly

intothesun.Itisonlyanimageonascreen,accompaniedbyamildlyunsettling,high-pitchedhum.It

should not blind anyone. But the shot persists; the camera continues zooming ever so slowly and

imperceptiblyinonthesun.IstarttothinkthatmaybeIshouldfeelblinded;Ishouldhaveaheadache.

Andthen,Ido.

School’sOutisamoviethathingesalmostentirelyonthispsychosomatically-inducedstateofdread.

WhileIwouldn’tgoasfarastosaythatitisnotaneasywatch,itiscertainlyafilmthatsucceedsin

becomingexponentiallymoreunsettlingasitsslow-burnstoryunfolds.Itiswhatviewerswillcertainly

feelassoonasthetitleappearsonscreeninno-nonsense,defaultMicrosoftOfficefontCambria,right

after themovie’s (literally) explosive ending. It is also the feeling that protagonist PierreHoffman

constantlyfindshimselfreturningtowhenheacceptsapostasasubstituteteacherataprestigious

academy in an idyllic French suburb. Summer is in full swing, exams are fast-approaching, and

Hoffman’spredecessorhasjustthrownhimselfoutofasecond-storeywindow.

Hoffman,playedbytheexcellentLaurentLafitte,isoutofhisdepthanditshows.Beforethisjobhe

wasnothingbutanunemployedacademic;smokingjointswithhistattooartistneighbourandworking

onathesisaboutKafkathathehadnorealintentionoffinishingduetohisfearofcommittingto“the

realworld”.“I’mmoreADHDthanIPC,”hetellstheheadmaster,clearlydiscomfitedatthethoughtof

teachingso-called‘IntellectuallyPrecociousChildren’–intelligentteenagerswhoarethecreamofthe

cropattheiralreadyillustriouscollege.Hoffmanisaperfectlyflawedprotagonist–atfortyyearsold

heissingle,asubstituteteacher,andnowherenearasclosetofiguringouthisownlifeashisown

studentsareforthemselves.

TheseflawsarealsowhatmakesHoffmanappearinfinitelyexploitabletohisstudents–inparticulara

groupofsixsullenteenagerswhodeploretherestoftheir“mediocre”schoolmatesandwhowatched

onwithstraightfacesastheirpreviousteacherlaybrokenandbleedingbelowtheirclassroomwindow.

Helmedbyringleaders(andclassmonitors)DimitriandApolline,Hoffmanisslowlybutsurelydrawn

to investigate their strangebehaviour,evenashe ismocked,questioned,andbelittledby themat

everyturn.Whathefindsishardlychild’splay.Therearenear-deathsituationsvoluntarilyenteredby

theteenagersto“ensuretheydon’tfeelpain”.Therearesecretvideotapeswithsickeningfootageof

theplanet’senvironmentaldecline,cutandpastedtogetheroveracheeryEDMsoundtrack.Andthen

therearethephonecallsthatHoffmankeepsgettingfromanunknownnumber,featuringthesoft

sobsofanunknownwoman.

If there’sonething thatSchool’sOutdoes fantastically, it’skeeping itsaudience intriguedatevery

turn,eveninspiteoftheglacialpaceofitsplot–whichinitselfhasbeensnatchedstraightfromboth

SionSono’sSuicideClubandPaulSchrader’sFirstReformed.Redherringsandfeverdreamsaboundas

the film builds to its climax, seen through Romain Carcanade’s brilliant cinematographic lens and

soundtrackedbyZombieZombie’ssparse,spine-tinglingsynths.MarnieralsomanagestoturnSchool’s

Outintoanuancedstudyofvoyeurism–isHoffman’sobsessionintrusivesimplybyvirtueofhimbeing

anoldermanspyingonhisteenagestudents?Isitjustifiedifthechildrenaremoredangerousthan

theyleton?Orisitjustifiedbecausethekidsclearlywanttobewatched?

Withsuchstellarinfluences,it’snosurprisethatSchool’sOutendsupshiningonitsowntoo,especially

whenbackedupbyabrilliantcast.LuanaBajramiisparticularlymenacingastheverboseandmorose

Apolline–aworthyadversaryforLafitte’sowncompellingperformanceasHoffman,whoconvincingly

veerscloserandclosertototalmentalcollapsewitheverypassingminute.BajramiandLafitteeasily

carrythefilmtogether;theirrestrainedaggressiontowardseachothersopalpablethatyoucouldcut

itwithaknife.Whiletherestofthecreepychildrenperhapsdon’tgetasmuchscreentimeasthey

should,theynonethelessheightenthefilm’sundercurrentofuneaseasApolline’swillingstooges;so

plianttoherstrengthofwillthattheywouldevenriskdrowningoneoftheirownforher.

There are a few loose ends that School’s Out fails to tie up at the risk of appearing completely

gratuitous – namely, the hints at the burgeoning political upheaval in France, the anti-Semitic

undercurrent amongst the college students and teachers, and the homoerotic attraction between

Hoffmanandafellowteacher,Steve.Butrelativelyspeaking,thesefeelmorelikesmall,overlooked

detailswashedawaybytherelentlesstideofthefilm’smainnarrative.Loadedwithenoughintrigue

and suspense to make viewers think themselves into a corner, School’s Out is a film that, when

watched,feelslikestaringintoanimageofthesun.Itwon’tblindyou,butitwillmakeyouthinkyou’re

goingblind.Andsometimes,that’sallthat’sneeded.

https://thepanoptic.co.uk/2018/09/27/london-film-festival-2018-schools-out/