20/04/2022 - With patience and a sense of poetry, Lydie Wisshaupt-Claudel follows the daily lives of two unusual teachers contending with stressed and traumatised children who are struggling to exist

In the multicultural and contradictory city of Brussels lies a school like no other, where children learn to live within a society which has a tendency to exclude them either through lack of understanding or, quite simply, because it’s easier. Helmed by the extraordinary Marie and Juliette, the Petite École welcomes children from six through to fifteen years old who have never been to school and who have often had to cope with exile and violence. Together, adults and children try to build a world capable of welcoming them and of allowing them to express themselves without fear of judgement.

Predominantly filmed within the small school founded by Marie and Juliette, Lydie Wisshaupt-Claudel’s Leading Lights - which was presented in a world premiere within the 2022 Visions du Réel Festival’s International Competition - radiates a surprising and powerful light which seems reflective of the energy behind the venture. Between these four walls, the teachers try to give their children a sense of structure, introducing rituals to punctuate their days, which also give them meaning.

Indeed, before they even think about fitting into a “rigid” school system which is almost entirely unfamiliar to them, the pupils of the Petite École must learn to live in a wholly foreign environment. Their lives being very often confined to family circles, the children and teens (between six and fifteen years old) who light up this school in the heart of Brussels learn - thanks to Marie and Juliette - how to open themselves up to the world, how to interact, and how to lend rhythm to their days. Obviously, it’s a long road and the destination (where there is one) is unknown, but what really matters is to try while freeing oneself from the rigid paradigms which traditional school routes inevitably impose. How can we possibly expect children to follow traditional curriculums when they don’t hold the codes to understanding them, and when no-one has ever taught them when it means to be a pupil?

Often focusing on Marie and Juliette’s thoughtful and attentive expressions (while they’re chatting with the children or talking with other professionals about the situations they experience on a daily basis), Lydie Wisshaupt-Claudel’s camera captures their infinite patience and their commitment to what they see as a veritable mission. Observing, re-adapting and tirelessly suggesting new solutions for continually changing situations: teaching their students how to form letters by tracing them in the sand or how to vent their anger by hammering a nail into wood is part and parcel of these teachers’ daily lives… Marie and Juliette’s job requires real and full immersion, without the help of translators, because their focus is gradual learning by way of listening and sharing. By continually questioning themselves, mulling over all possible strategies for combining authority and kindness, the two teachers forge strong bonds with their pupils. Trusting their own intuitions and freeing themselves from the reflexes which traditional school has also instilled in them isn’t always easy, yet Marie and Juliette never lose hope and continue, with admirable constancy, to believe in the power of sharing. A veritable research laboratory, the Petite École is far more than a simple school; it’s a place where you can dream of a fairer world born out of meeting others and listening. Leading Lights is a luminous and sensitive film, and, to all intents and purposes, a life lesson.

Leading Lights is produced by Belgium’s Les productions du verger.

(Translated from Italian)