Colewell (2019)
Directed by Tom Quinn and starring Karen Allen, this low-key American independent film is about a small rural post office and the single officer managing it. Facing work closure or relocalization, our protagonist is reflecting on her life while making a hard decision about her future. She might have to leave the cozy and peaceful place she operated for 45 years, which is also incredibly important to a small community or move to the next chapter in her life.
The Postman’s White Nights (2014)
This film by Andrei Konchalovsky, based on a true story about a postman adventure in a secluded part of Russia, is quietly bewitching with scenes bordering magic realism. It is a tale of a postal carrier traveling between a modern city and a small, almost hidden, island by boat to deliver mails to a handful of villagers. The Postman’s White Nights show us that for some people, whether in Russia or America, this indispensable service and its workers are truly essential.
Los Acacias (2011)
Many movies often portrayed truckers in negative lights while in reality, like everybody else, most of them are just hard-working citizens with a primordial and essential duty; getting goods from point A to B. It must be a lonely, lonely job but they often get a hell of an “office view”! This Argentinian film by Pablo Giorgelli pictures this perfectly. It is a sweet story about a lone trucker transporting, not only logs from Paraguay to Argentina but a single mother and her impressive baby actor on the journey. Las Acacias is the type of movie exploring the human heart and the enchanting quietness of the simple life.
The Shape of Water (2017)
Guillermo del Toro’s latest feature might be the most popular film of this bunch and the only Oscar for Best Motion Picture! Moreover, it is one of the rare fantasy films with janitors as protagonists. Sally Hawking is leading this period romance of sorts about a mute cleaner working in a secret laboratory where a mysterious amphibian creature is being studied. This is a highly original concept, and if you are looking for a heartwarming tale where heroes might find happiness despite suffering, this might be the one. Being a GDT’s flick, this movie is a visual feast too!
Fences (2016)
The Denzel Washington directed adaptation of August Wilson Pulitzer Prize-winning play Fences starring himself, and Viola Davis is not only a potent film but a true masterclass in Acting! This “dramatic drama” set in the ’50s is about the life and family of a sanitation worker all too familiar with hardship. He is a man who not so much lost faith in the system but perhaps humanity.
The Class (2008)
This award-winning French film by Laurent Cantet is based on an autobiographical novel about a french literature teacher written by the main actor playing his own role! We follow him over the course of the school year, teaching a group of diverse teenagers with different aspirations, backgrounds, levels, and familial situations. Everything happening in the movie feels strikingly real, from the chemistry between the adolescents to their behavior, and relations towards scholarly authorities. The Class makes us feel like a fly on the school wall witnessing all the laughter and tribulations experienced by staff and pupils.
Monsieur Lazhar (2011)
This Canadian drama by Philippe Falardeau was based on a play about an Algerian refugee seeking asylum in Montreal and hoping to become the new instructor of a class that tragically lost their beloved teacher. With a different teaching method and humor, he will help the young pupils deal with their feelings in a difficult period, all while going through a tough time himself. Monsieur Lazhar is a beautiful and bittersweet movie about human connections and how, no matter our age or culture, we can help each other in one way or another. It is yet another story reminding us of the teachers who helped us to get here or even went the extra mile.
Blackboards (2000)
Another film showing us teachers being so much more than instructors is Blackboards. The film by Samira Makhmalbaf is a wonderful film about Kurdish teachers traveling with their boards on their backs in wartime. They go from village to village in remote and hard-to-reach places in search of students. Along the way, they might not always be able to teach but will be of help and assist various folks.
Little Monsters (2019)
Once again, a schoolmaster, but this time in a very very different genre, a zombie film! Abe Forsythe comedy/horror film is about an elementary school teacher, played to perfection by Lupita Nyong’ o. She tries to make sure her students are safe and well taken care of no matter what – this includes singing the same Taylor Swift’s song over and over, and playing the ukulele to help them feel less sacred while the “zombie apocalypse” is happening outside… It is a fun way to recognize that some teachers will 100% go above and beyond to keep their classes happy and do their best to maintain a sense of normalcy for children.
Trucker (2008)
This American indie directed by James Mottern is another film about a trucker, but this time with Michelle Monaghan playing a rare (at least on-screen) woman big truck driver. It is considered a tough occupation for women, especially one looking to spend time with young children. Sexism aside, Trucker helps to understand why it is often incompatible with family life as we see the young mother, estranged from her son since pretty much birth, on the road for weeks at a time. Notwithstanding, the film did a great job of making sure we know that the protagonist – and probably other women doing this job in real life – does it because she likes it, can be her own boss, and enjoy the sense of adventure traveling from city to city.
