20 Best French Films Of The Last Decade

12. The Class

The first French film to win the Cannes Film Festival's coveted Palme d'Or in over twenty years (at the time), this adaptation of François Bégaudeau's acclaimed novel certainly deserved the honour with an examination of the contemporary French classroom that's by turns hilarious, heartfelt and politically minded. Bégaudeau himself plays the teacher protagonist, Francois Marin, who attempts to deal with the various issues facing just about any modern-day educator, and the unruly kids leave at least as lasting an impression as the actor's central turn does itself. More than anything, the various slice-of-life dialogues feel completely authentic, peppered with just enough humour and wit so as to not feel like a rigorous study.