What remains in our memory of the teaching of Latin? Some civilization lessons, one or two variations: “rosa, rosa, rosam, rosae, rosae, rosa”… as well as the amused memory of a feeling of injustice, that of having received overtime compared to other classmates who were never forced to do this subject by their parents.
Latin – we were undoubtedly too young, in college, to realize it – was nevertheless the possibility, for a literary future, of better understanding the origin of the words of the French language, of being part of a cultural heritage and open the way to learning ancient history. Incidentally, the choice of Latin was also a way of definitively distancing oneself from the ever-increasing contingent of “wesh” in this suburban establishment – a recurring motivation, let’s not kid ourselves, of parents who choose this option for their child.
After Roman peace, social peace
So, while everyone agrees to say, a little too easily these days, that Latin “is useless”, a light and rather successful comedy is released at the cinema which aims to put the forum back at the center of the city . First feature film by Émilie Noblet, Again tells us the story of a high school Latin teacher who gave up a long time ago and gave up trying to pass on her knowledge to her students, whose numbers are constantly decreasing over the years. Disillusioned, cynical, Delphine is content to do “daycare” in her room and buys social peace by awarding everyone an average of 19. A win-win deal about which the principal, obviously, knows nothing… Only, caught in her own game, the teacher one day sees her class selected for an international Latin competition to be held in Naples. Whether or not this option is maintained in his high school will depend on his victory.
Encumbered by the principal’s nephew, a Latin doctoral student with eccentric theories, Delphine then embarks on this suicide mission with her five students and decides to cheat, without worrying in the least about the example she sets for them.
Is the teachers fault?
Fun, not too schoolboy and well balanced in terms of humor and rhythm, Again poses a problem, despite everything, on an ideological level. The underlying message is that the Latin teachers have resigned. True scapegoats of a society in the process of deculturation, these are designated as the main responsible for the unpopularity of their subject. Delphine doesn’t believe in her students for a single moment; which, we are told, are only asking to be interested in dead languages – an eminently naive and beside the point speech.
The filmmaker basically tells us that teachers must put themselves at the students’ level to arouse their interest… Ultimately, the only way to achieve this is through the modernization of teaching, based on games and translated Céline Dion songs. in the language of the Caesars. Not only does the director, without necessarily intellectualizing it, endorse the death of classical education, but she indirectly admits to not believing in today’s youth and their ability to take the same path as their elders. A defeatist state of mind that she nevertheless claims to denounce in Delphine.
Perhaps even more cruel, Latin is almost never highlighted during the story. Filmmaker Émilie Noblet thus seems to put a final nail in the coffin of this dead language.
2 stars out of 5
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