Oscar-nominated director, writer would consider social worker film
Philippe Falardeau. Photo by Pierre Obendrauf of the Montreal Gazette.
Canadian screenwriter and director Philippe Falardeau, who was recently nominated for a Foreign Language Oscar for his film “Monsieur Lazhar,” said he would consider doing a film about a social worker on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
“Yes, I have characters popping in my mind,” Falardeau told SocialWorkersSpeak.org by telephone. “It would be somebody who has been working to help others but comes to a point where they are nearly having a breakdown or depression because it is always about somebody else’s problems.”
“I think it would be a great character,” he said.
Falardeau also said he could weave in the stories about the social worker’s clients to create an even richer drama. “It has to be set up in a social canvas,” he said. “That’s why it would be interesting to me.”
Movie poster.
Falardeau, who said he believes social workers do such valuable work they should earn the same salaries as professional baseball and hockey players, has never shied away from complex issues in his films.
In “Monsieur Lazhar” Algerian immigrant Bashir Lazhar (actor and comedian Mohamed Fellag) becomes the substitute teacher for a middle school class that is still grappling with the loss of its popular young teacher to suicide. However, Lazhar is coping with trauma of his own.
The movie also explores issues that would be familiar to many social workers, including grief, childhood education and the status of immigrants in the West.
Falardeau, 44, who studied Canadian politics and international relations before he got into filmmaking, is now working on a political comedy. Although he has gotten notice in Hollywood with the Oscar nomination he said he prefers to keep doing smaller, intimate films that explore the human condition.
“I’m not interested in studio movies,” he joked. “But if they offer me a James Bond film I’ll do it.”
Falardeau and Previd Consulting are offering social workers a chance to see “Monsieur Lazar” at the E Street Cinemas in Washington, D.C. at 7 p.m. on April 12. We have a few tickets to share on a first-come, first-serve basis. The film is in French Canadian with English subtitles. For more information email gwright@naswdc.org.
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clearly all characters must be entertaining and this kind of morbidly depressed character can be that, but what about asocial worker who isdriven by a deeply personal motivation and is struggling to balance their personal and professional lives, but doing it with heroism rather complete personal ruin?
Dear Philipe,
I gratefully applaude your goal to do a movie on social workers. It could be a blessing to the profession if it is done well. You and I share a similar goal which is to accurately promote the positive qualities of the profession.
As a recently “retired” social work professor I have been enriched to work with the following:
Holocaust survivors
The gangs of Scotland
The mentally challenged and homeless of Philadelphia
The dying through hospice and medical social work
Older adults facing the losses of friends, spouses, health, home and memory
Families needing food, water and education in the barrios of the Dominican Republic
The African grandparents and granchildren struggling to survive after their children/parents
died of AIDS
Children and adults coping with Autism/Asperger’s
If you need help with this project from a social work perspective I can make myself available. I do relate to the character in your script idea though my overload came from being in the thick of my career while my daughter was almost dying once or twice a month (She is fine now.) and my spouse and I had to also deal with our parents who started getting sick and dying. Due to all of that stress I created “Womingo” with one of the fine artists I support. Womingo is the international symbol for caregivers to learn to take care of themselves. Womingo’s image shows a large head of a woman running forward on a flamingo body. Her head is full of things she needs to do for everyone else with her eyes closed to her own needs….
If you want help, I am willing. I do have TV and stage acting experience under the tutelage of Kelly McGillis from the movies Top Gun and Witness.
Cheers to Your Creativity,
Janice Fetrow-Stewart
Hello Philippe,
I don’t think I know of one Social Worker with any significant amount of time in this career field that has not felt on the verge of, at least a 5 minute crack up, from time to time…that being said… having a sense of humor and lots and lots of chocolate, has gotten me through the transference and counter-transference on any given day.
As a seasoned worker, your come to realize that you can only support/help/assist others along their journey, in so far as you have progressed within your own process.
My process continues to be colorful at best…9/11 with the FDNY/Project Liberty, supporting Katrina, MST Military Sexual Trauma, medical/psychiatirc social work, EAP Employee Assistance Work and most currently participating in THE INVISIBLE WAR Documentary Sundance Film Festival 2012/People Choice Award and now my first attempt pairing Clinical Social Work with first time Executive Producing the social documentary JUSTICE DENIED about Male Rape in our Armed Forces/MST Military Sexual Trauma. *see Indieggo under Education.
In my case art is imitating life…WIth my husband’s support, a survivor of rape in the military/ MST and with Director, Mike Miller of 9 Point Productions, we are hoping to create awareness and ultimately support policy…see HR # 3435 THE STOP ACT per Congresswoman Jackie Speier.
This has been and continues to be a labor of love for my spouse and myself, it has effected us in many ways and forced us to look within, struggle and grow.
I support you in creating light around the often unsung Social Worker heroes…that so often get a bad wrap, poor media image and not to mention are under compensated.
If you would like any input, feel free to contact me.
Geri Lynn Weinstein-Matthews, MSW, LICSW
Executive Producer
JUSTICE DENIED MOVIE
505-270-1575 Mountain Time
fleabid@hotmail.com