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School's Out
L'Heure de la sortie
2018 100 min France 16+
★6.6
Thriller, Drama, Mystery
Director: Sébastien Marnier
Trailers
Description
Pierre Hoffman joins a prestigious school as a substitute teacher and soon notices, among some of his students, an unjustified hostility and a spark of violence in their eyes. Is it because the unspeakable tragedy they have just experienced? Is it because they seem to be extraordinarily gifted children? Is it because they have lost all hope for the future? From curiosity to obsession, Pierre will try to unlock their secret.
Starring
Laurent Lafitte
Actor
Emmanuelle Bercot
Actor
Luàna Bajrami
Actor
Awards
1 win & 2 nominations total
Key opinion
L'Heure de la sortie is a deeply unsettling thriller that excels at building a pervasive sense of dread through its cryptic depiction of youth. While it effectively mirrors the anxieties of a new generation, its refusal to provide clear answers leaves its central purpose and genre open to interpretation.
| Emotion | The film succeeds in creating an intense, sustained atmosphere of discomfort and impending doom. | |
| Direction | The performances and direction capture a chilling, uncanny quality reminiscent of classic horror films about predatory or detached children. | |
| Theme | The narrative's focus on gifted children effectively explores themes of social alienation and generational disconnect. | |
| Screenplay | The film's purpose is divisive, as its highly ambiguous screenplay shifts between apocalyptic satire, climate-change allegory, and psychological horror without committing to a singular reading. |