The Class

Almost every class in high school knows one: a lonely child that is being picked on by everyone. Unable to give proper resistance against the different kids in the class that one person becomes the victim of just about everything. Most of the time it ends up OK in the end, but sometimes it goes to a point of no return and then it ends in full flexed drama. This film is about such a drama.

Starting out at the point where a kid is picked out as being the one to pick on the events that happen happen in just the right pace. The film switches between fueling the fire and licking the wounds, and later between fueling the fire and planning the counter strike. It becomes impossible not to feel a certain level of sympathy for the guy, even though his actions are unforgivable. And that is why this film works well. Klass is a harsh message and I think it should be shown to all kids in high schools to show them the darkest sides of peer pressure and the effects of it on some people.

9 out of 10 difficult lessons

Its been a while since I saw a movie that left my guts so unsettled. I have seen several graphic movies about rape, terrorism, cruelty, hatred. Some of them have managed to touch my soul and move me to tears. But none of them prepared me for this movie. The only movie that probably came close to making me feel so horrible was Chandi Bar. This movie will leave you with a lot of anger and hatred.

We have seen the horror of gun possession with minors in movies like Elephant and American History X. But this movie goes beyond irresponsible and erratic use of a gun. This movie projects basic human feelings and the results of mob mentality and repressiveness anger. Most viewers can relate to this movie because they have all experienced school violence, either first hand or otherwise.

About the movie itself, the direction, cinematography and acting are all A-grade. You always feel at the center of each and every scene. This is what the movie does best. It involves you. And when you are done watching it, it will make you think about it and discuss it. It'll make you think of what's wrong with our education system and what can be done to prevent something like this from happening.

It kinda falls into the category of movies which make you lose faith in humanity. Don't get me wrong. We are capable of kindness too. But it is equally true that we humans can be very cruel and we should not ignore this facet of our basic instinct. There are many interventions that could've prevented the ending that the movie projected. But the reason the movie hit me so hard is coz' of the way it ended.

I would definitely recommend this movie to all those movie buffs who aren't afraid of watching movies with serious subjects. Stay away from it immediately before sleep time. This film will leave you so unsettled; you may not be able to sleep for next couple of hours.

As for me, I wonder if I'll ever gather my guts to see this great film again.

It leaves you crying and thinking about what is happening to this crazy world. A powerful movie and it has nothing in common with "Elephant" because this one has nearly everything a good movie must have. Starting from the plot, actors playing and cameraman's work. And the music is wonderful-it's ideal for this kind of film. There are aggressive industrial melodies and they collide brilliantly with the tragic music like the one in the ending.

There are a lot of movies that leave you with the feeling that the "victim" in the film could have done something about his/her terrible situation. But here you feel that it's impossible to fight when you face total violence. You only have to fight for your honour and then you die being free. Of course, somebody can say that Joosep shouldn't have positioned himself as a cry-baby and could do something about that all. Well, I must say that all the people differ and good people not necessarily have to get used to the s**t around them. Something should be done with this world(I don't know what). The situation when you see only evil around you and you have no exit is terrifying and boys have got in that trap. Things like these happen everywhere in the world and that is what makes you lay crying after the movie-the feeling of this is shown very well here. 9 out of 10.

In the end, I must say that Estonia is deservedly a European country if they make such films and there are people who can look at the world from point like this. Unfortunately, we are still far from you. Everybody has problems like violence in schools and so on but still nobody can get rid of this. But if you throw light upon such problems,it's already a big step forward. When I say it all I don't mean America that makes violence a religion. I'm only speaking about Europe now.

I've just finished watching this Estonian drama, and even though I've been warned about what I should expect, I never imagined what awaits for me. Believe me, I'm not a person who can be easily shocked - after hundreds and hundreds of movies I didn't think that something could bring me to this mental condition, but I'm sitting here, in front of monitor; my hand are shaking a little and I'm filled with so much rage and despair that I wanna cry. First of all, I should mention that I, myself, experienced something similar in my school years. Though, not to this extent, of course. Undoubtedly this is partly the reason why I feel like this. I recollect things that happened to myself and when I think about what could have've happened if some people from my past stepped just a little further in what they've been doing - it just makes me shiver. All words, reactions and events are so shockingly colourable that it's almost feels like you're inside characters' minds. Indifferent adults so messed up by life (be it cruel post-Soviet reality or personal issues) that it seems like they're living in some world of their own; and kids that desperately trying to understand what is going on around them - without hope and any help from anyone around. I've seen it all be my own eyes: mindless faces that don't understand you at all. I've heard all the words - sickening clichés that only make you feel worse. Sometimes the pressure is just to high and you brake up no matter how strong you are. Of course, there were other pretty frank movies concerning this matter - Larry Clarks' Kids - raw and passionate - or Gus Van Sant's Elephant - plain and intentionally protocolistyc - just to name a few. But none, none was so close to describe a reality of this kind of situation - Klass takes you so deeply in the heart of youth's desperation that it seems like you won't be able to see a daylight again.

I think it was one of the most appealing plot I have ever seen. It's in my native language so, it is pretty easy to understand and pretty hard to watch. It is a difficult movie about Kaspar and Joosep who are being teased and harassed at school. I was harassed a little too during my school years and i feel total sympathy for the two main characters.

I really loved the camera work, I have always loved Estonian camera work and the editing. Raw, tragic and lifelike. Ilmar Raag has done a great job by showing what is going on in schools nowadays. It's not only in Estonia, USA, or England for that matter, it's going on all around the world - school violence.

I don't want to spoil the ending, but it was pretty predictable and the plot is easy to catch, nevertheless it is a movie that is not easy on you. If you have been a situation familiar to this, not so radical even, you know what Kaspar and Joosep felt.

And as Kaspar said, It's about pride.

9,3/10 :)