Friday, January 8, 2010
Chalk
I just saw this "mockumentary" (is that really a genre?) and was touched by it. I am also certain that a teacher wrote it. There's no way that regular people know what a "do now" or "aim" is. Nor do regular people understand "teacher talk" and the various teacher personalities that bubble to the surface among otherwise normal human beings. Chalk does a good job of portraying some of the absurdity, difficulty, and, dare I say it, joy that goes along with working in a school. It's not a perfect film but it makes me want to get up and go to work in the morning, which I always want to do, of course :).
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I did not make an event of seeing this movie; I watched it on my computer and went in with modest expectations. My expectations were served well. As a teacher who has made several short films with students documenting their experiences in school I am always interested in seeing an inside look at schools in America. This film remains small enough for itself. I like that it is not trying to do too much; it is not making a grandiose political statement. Yet, it rings true and foregrounds issues unique to teachers that surely the run-of-the-mill "school sitcom" or lame "teacher hero" movie cannot translate. "Chalk" can be slow at times and isn't quite monumental or emotionally rousing as a full piece, but creates likable enough characters who ultimately want to do the right thing. Kind of like how teaching feels sometimes...
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