Une Troisième à  Malakoff, soyez roi dans vos rêves

“On the border of upper and lower Malakoff, in between high rise flats and detached houses, is the Paul Bert lower secondary school with its four hundred and fifty pupils. For a whole year, I filmed the fourth-year pupils in Class A. At their age, dreams are still alive and everything is possible. At the end of the school year, they have to make a choice linked to their future career: that is, between a general or scientific programme and vocational education. This is when their own and their families’ ambitions come up against hard reality. In the light of their school results, measured and assessed throughout the year, the school will either back their projects or direct them to other types of education… For many, it is certainly too late – one year is not enough to catch up on what has remained unlearnt since the beginning of schooling. It may also be too soon to make the link between school and their future professional life. What do they know about the careers they have chosen, the daily reality and the training and qualifications required? This fourth-year class is a cross-road where choices linked to a career will be made in spring…” (Patrick Jan)