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The Kindergarten Teacher (2014) (Haganenet)

Cast includes: Sarit Larry (Esrim plus), Avi Shnaidman, Lior Raz (Fauda), Ester Rada (Od ani holen)
Writer/Director: Nadav Lapid (Policeman)
Genre: Drama (119 minutes) Hebrew with subtitles

 

At home, Nira’s life is pretty ordinary and middle class. Her husband watches too much TV, and Nira occasionally has work to do on her computer in the other room. There’s one kid in her kindergarten class, Yoav Pollak, who’s kind of a mystery. Nira has never met his father, and there doesn’t seem to be a mother in the picture. A nanny brings him to school and picks him up at the end of the day. One day, Nira sees something quite unexpected… first Yoav paces purposefully and then announces, “I have a poem.” The nanny writes it down while Nira observes from the doorway. “Hagar is beautiful enough. Enough for me. Enough for me. Rain of gold falls upon her house. It is truly the sun of God.” It’s a simple poem, but amazingly insightful… especially for a 5-year-old boy. Nira is enchanted with the talent of the shy little boy. When she reads the poem to her poetry group… some are dismissive, but others find it provocative and beautiful.

“Who is Hagar?” Nira asks Yoav but can’t get an answer. “Yoav is acting strange,” she tells the nanny. “Yoav is always strange,” the nanny answers. Because Nira wants to know, the nanny explains about the poems. “First he paces. Then he says ‘I have a poem.’” The nanny writes them down because Yoav is too young to write them down. “Does he often write about unrequited love?” “He’s like a 40-year-old spinster,” says the nanny dismissively. Nira learns that Yoav’s parents are divorced… ugly divorce… and he now lives with his father. Sensing that Yoav could be a poetry prodigy, she begins to pay special attention to the boy… always trying to inspire another poem. But the child rarely responds. He continues to be a socially awkward little boy who occasionally announces, “I have a poem.”

Nira continues prying and prodding… anything to find a way to expand the boy’s “world of words.” “He’s a poet in a era that hates poetry,” she tells Yoav’s father when she finally finds him. Much to her surprise, the boy’s father has no interest in his son’s gifts. As every teacher knows, there’s a line that should not be crossed when encouraging a gifted young pupil. Sometimes the line is blurry, but Nira is sure she’s acting in the child’s best interest. She believes she’s one of the rare kindergarten teachers, who can really make a difference. The Kindergarten Teacher has a feeling of foreboding throughout the entire movie. We just don’t know how far she’s willing to go. It’s possible that American moviegoers will miss some of the nuances and cultural issues because it’s an Israeli film in Hebrew with subtitles. Although the subtitles often zip by, the story doesn’t. Moviegoers who want an involving plot with a fitting conclusion, are likely to be disappointed. Those who enjoy nuances of nuances are more likely to become absorbed. There are probably nuances that will be lost on may moviegoers. “Imagine what else is hiding in his head,” Nira says as she makes her case. It falls on deaf ears.

2 popped kernels

A kindergarten teacher believes she knows how to encourage the poetic talent of her shy pupil

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