One world: a film as gripping as it is suffocating about school bullying [critique]

Laura Wandel talks about bullying at a child's level. A daily horror film with fascinating accuracy.

Released in cinemas in early 2022, A world arrives unencrypted on television, on France 4. Première highly recommends it.

In a world bombarded with images in every direction, the schoolyard remains a sanctuary, one of the rare places not yet documented every second. So much the better for the mental health of parents… and the imagination of filmmakers who, while documenting what is happening there, can evolve in a place that remains mysterious. A world dives precisely into the playground to make it the setting for the scariest of horror films: the terror of everyday life. We follow Nora, a primary school student, confronted with the harassment suffered by her big brother Abel. What to do? What to say? Who can I talk to to stop the hell and not make it worse? She will, in fact, find herself torn between Abel who asks her to remain silent, her father who pushes her to speak but also her need to integrate, while associated with the pain of school, she sees the others turn away from her.

LAURA WANDEL: “I WANTED VIEWERS TO PHYSICALLY FEEL THE VIOLENCE OF A WORLD”

Laura Wandel tells the story of this conflict of loyalties and this cruelty… from a children's perspective. We only see the faces of the adults – who we feel totally lost – when they lean in to speak to them. Embarked in scenes where they obviously cannot rely only on their nature, Maya Vanderberque and Günter Duret deliver a fascinating composition which greatly contributes to this state of permanent tension, reinforced by the incessant hubbub of the playground. Under perfectly digested Dardenian influence, Laura Wandel physically engages the viewer in her story. We come away knocked out, overwhelmed and impressed. That this first feature film left Cannes empty-handed remains a mystery.