To Be and to Have

"An observation of the humanity of young people."

2002 1h 44m FR

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 153

Documentary

Synopsis

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The documentary's title translates as "to be and to have", the two auxiliary verbs in the French language. It is about a primary school in the commune of Saint-Étienne-sur-Usson, Puy-de-Dôme, France, the population of which is just over 200. The school has one small class of mixed ages (from four to twelve years), with a dedicated teacher, Georges Lopez, who shows patience and respect for the children as we follow their story through a single school year.

“An observation of the humanity of young people.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Georges Lopez
Self, teacher
Johan
Self, 4 year old - Jojo
Alizé
Self, 3 year old
Guillaume
Self, 9 year old
Létitia
Self, 4 year old
Johann
Self, 4 year old
Jonathan
Self, 10 year old
Olivier
Self, 10 year old

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Nicolas Philibert
Writers: Nicolas Philibert
Languages: French
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 24 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Nicolas Philibert, shot by Katell Djian. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Philippe Hersant. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Nicolas Philibert shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Georges Lopez and Johan and Alizé carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "An observation of the humanity of young people.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Nicolas Philibert directs. Katell Djian behind the camera. Philippe Hersant scores. Nicolas Philibert cuts. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Released 24 years ago.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Nicolas Philibert, shot by Katell Djian. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Philippe Hersant. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Nicolas Philibert shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Georges Lopez and Johan and Alizé carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "An observation of the humanity of young people.".
9IMDB entry: tt0318202 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 9 themes, including "classroom", "country life", "family's daily life", "education".
11Released under 10 different titles around the world.