Tu or Vous? Forms of Address and Cultural Understanding in Monsieur Lazhar

Philippe Falardeau’s film Monsieur Lazhar (2011) centers on an Algerian immigrant to Montreal who finds work at a primary school that has been shocked by the recent death of a teacher. Bachir Lazhar’s speech—in particular his use of forms of address—contrasts with the relative informality of his colleagues and pupils. This article examines the use of vouvoiement and tutoiement in the film to acquaint students at the intermediate and advanced levels with the varied conversational strategies of French speakers across and within cultures. It concentrates in particular on subtitles to engage students in linguistic and cultural comparison.