Vallo Kirs in The Class (Klass 2007) Film Review
Ilmar Raag Casts Unknown Part Uusep in Harrowing The Class
Sixteen year old outcast Joosep (Part Usberg) suffers a life of solitude and torment at the hands of his peers. It is only Kaspar (Vallo Kirs) who rises courageously against his friends and the instigator, Anders (Lauri Pedaja), in order to protect Joosep. In the film, Joosep and Kaspar are subjected to daily beatings and homophobic abuse. This leads to a haunting scene on the beach where Kaspar is forced to perform a lurid sexual act at knifepoint. Humiliated, excluded and publicly stripped of their honour, which is an explicit theme established at the beginning of the film, the pair seek bloody revenge.
Narrative Development of Director Ilmar Raag’s School Shooting Film
Dividing the story into seven chapters, Raag shows methodically, how a case of bullying can swiftly escalate into carnage. The plot is undoubtedly predicable at times as narrative clues point periodically toward the dramatic climax of the film. For instance Joosep’s father keeps guns in the house and tells his son “the man who does not fight back will be a loser one day”. Regardless of this, the delivery is so adept that is it impossible to remain detached emotionally from the characters. To watch Joosep as he is demoralised and isolated is even more affecting than the massacre which concludes the film.
Raag concentrates completely on reactionary behaviour, using vigorous cutaways to fuse the action to the characters’ degenerative state of mind. His use of perspective as the camera traces Joosep and Kaspar’s solemn steps into the canteen heightens the viewer’s discomfort and anxiety. Cutting between images of the loaded rifle and the look of angst in their tentative gazes, Raag makes the scene not only about senseless murder but the valour of two boys who faced profound adversity in their daily lives. The shot does not shy away when the bullets are fired. We see the blood flow and the innocent flee. We see the fear in Joosep’s eye as he turns the trigger to his own temple.
Realistic Concept of The Class Starring Part Uusep
Prior to writing the film, director Ilmag Raag spoke to real Estonian children about their school experiences. By doing so he avoided creating yet another clichéd school shooting film which would potentially miss the mark. He chose to use non-professional actors and the entire project only took twelve days to film. He develops the lead characters as despondent victims who viewers can subsequently identify with.
The performance given by Vallo Kirs, the actor who plays Kaspar, is truly outstanding. His ability to express a depth of emotion is vivid and yet expertly contained. Although the orchestral musical score adds infinitive dramatic impact, Kirs is most emotive in those still, silent, moments where he faces his Grandmother or vies for Thea’s (Paula Solvak) diminishing affections. When discussing the film, the director revealed that after one scene he was so overcome with genuine emotion that he had to step aside. This is the disturbing magnitude of The Class and its potential to instigate social discussion is being felt at film festivals worldwide.
When support means nothing and your only hope is to survive, then comes your defining moment. This is The Class.
The Class (Klass 2007)
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