Worth: $14.00
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Cast:
John Leyden, Amanda Leyden
Intro:
... a gentle, warm and enchanting observational film...
John and Amanda Leydon are teachers at Headfort, an Irish boarding school for primary-aged children – the only one of its kind in the country. For over 40 years the pair have nurtured their young charges term by term, inculcating in them a love of literature (Amanda’s department) and music (John’s remit). Under the guidance of directors Neasa Ní Chianáin and David Rane, we spend the year with them as they educate the pupils with obvious joy and love.
School Life is a gentle, warm and enchanting observational film that charts its own meandering narrative course. It’s largely free of conflict, except for the most quotidian – will the school play come off well when the leading man’s confirmation clashes with opening night? Will the band ever sound good (their rendition of “Teenage Kicks” is endearingly bad).
In the background, however, is the looming inevitability of the Leydons’ retirement, which lends the proceedings a slight bittersweet edge. School days don’t last forever, even for career teachers – what will become of John and Amanda after the last bell tolls? Will the students of Headfort ever find other teachers so dedicated?
School Life never dwells on these notes of melancholy, but they’re in the mix nonetheless, making the film a more trenchant affair than it might otherwise appear, and making its quiet charms all the more resonant for their fragility in the face of time.
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