To Be and to Have
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Detailed parental analysis
To Be and to Have is a contemplative and warm documentary that follows a school year in a single-form classroom in the countryside, where a schoolteacher alone guides children of all ages, from nursery to primary school. The film has no plot in the conventional sense: it observes, with patience and discretion, the transmission of knowledge in this rural microcosm. It is addressed primarily to an adult or teenage audience sensitive to everyday narratives, even though the children filmed may spark the interest of younger viewers.
Underlying Values
The film is entirely structured around values of patience, devotion and mutual respect. The schoolteacher embodies a benevolent authority, never coercive, which values individual effort and progress at each person's own pace. The transmission of knowledge is presented here as a profoundly human act, meaningful in itself, independent of any logic of performance or competition. It is a rare portrait of a pedagogical relationship founded on trust and duration, which offers material for reflection on what we expect from school and from those who teach there.
Strengths
The film possesses a rare quality of observation: the camera effaces itself to allow moments to exist as they are, without artificial staging or external commentary. The portraits of children are captured with a precision and tenderness that avoid any sentimentality. For a young viewer, seeing children of their own age learning to read, to count or to manage their emotions can provoke an unexpected sense of recognition. For an adult or teenager, the film opens a sober and sincere reflection on the teaching profession, the solitude of certain vocations and the value of time in learning.
Age recommendation and discussion points
The film is accessible from 8 or 9 years old for curious and patient children, but it will find its most receptive audience among teenagers and adults. Its slow and repetitive pace may discourage young viewers accustomed to more dynamic narratives, which is worth anticipating. After viewing, two angles of discussion present themselves naturally: asking the child what they retain about the way the schoolteacher speaks to the pupils, and reflecting together on what it truly means to learn something, not merely for a grade.
Synopsis
The documentary's title translates as "to be and to have", the two auxiliary verbs in the French language. It is about a primary school in the commune of Saint-Étienne-sur-Usson, Puy-de-Dôme, France, the population of which is just over 200. The school has one small class of mixed ages (from four to twelve years), with a dedicated teacher, Georges Lopez, who shows patience and respect for the children as we follow their story through a single school year.
Where to watch
Availability checked on Sep 11, 2026
About this title
- Format
- Documentary
- Year
- 2002
- Runtime
- 1h 44m
- Countries
- France
- Original language
- FR
- Directed by
- Nicolas Philibert
- Main cast
- Georges Lopez, Johan, Alizé, Guillaume, Létitia, Johann, Jonathan, Olivier, Laura, Marie-Elizabeth
- Studios
- Gimages 204, Les Films d'Ici, ARTE France Cinéma, Maïa Films
Content barometer
- Violence0/5None
- Fear0/5None
- Sexuality0/5None
- Language1/5Mild
- Narrative complexity3/5Complex
- Adult themes0/5None