to be and to have

Image source.

On Sunday Mom and I watched To Be and To Have - a documentary on the single-teacher school system in France, which focuses on a class in Auvergne.  Before the coup d'etat in Mali changed a lot of people's life plans, I was hoping to stay in the country and conduct research under a Fulbright grant on the single-teacher school system recently implemented, and expanded, by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with a couple of USAID-education contracts.  Sometimes life has other plans in store.  

Nonetheless, this movie was a great afternoon wind-down - made me want to cry more than a few times though at how tender children (and adults!) can be.  It is in French with an option for English subtitles if you're into that kind of thing (and even if you aren't!).

I wonder what the title is asking us to think.  Etre et Avoir.  To be and to have.  If I could be anything and have anything - what would it be?  Is that what it's asking?  To be a teacher and to have an education?  To be French and to have a farm?  Lots of cutie patooties in this movie with really cute French accents :)

You can buy the movie on Amazon here or rent it from your local library like I did for $free.99. 

Do you have any good documentary recommendations?  I'm hoping to watch more this summer - especially ones in French to keep in practice for when Abdoulaye gets here and OAA is complete!