Released in theaters in April 2019, Michel Leclerc's comedy La Lutte des Classes, co-written with Baya Kasmi and starring Leïla Bekhti, Edouard Baer, Ramzy Bedia, and Claudia Tagbo, will be broadcast on France 2 on Sunday, November 16, 2025, at 9:10 p.m.
La Lutte des Classes tells the story of Sofia, a brilliant lawyer of North African descent, and Paul, a punk rock drummer with a libertarian streak, who move to the suburbs with their son Corentin. When all of their child's classmates leave the public school Jean-Jaurès to join the private Catholic school Saint-Benoît, the couple finds themselves faced with a dilemma: remain loyal to the republican school or follow the trend for the well-being of their son. The film humorously depicts the tension between left-wing ideals and parental realities.
Inspired by a real-life situation experienced by Michel Leclerc and Baya Kasmi in Bagnolet, the film takes an unbiased look at the contradictions of a couple committed to social diversity but concerned for their child. The director continues the work he began with Le Nom des gens and Télé Gaucho on the paradoxes of the French left: we defend public schools, but we fear school dropouts; we campaign for diversity, but we fear the isolation of our children.
The duo Leïla Bekhti and Edouard Baer form the heart of the story: she is structured, republican, and committed; he is more fluid, an unapologetic "old punk" who is caught up by reality. Around them, Ramzy Bedia and Claudia Tagbo bring a warm and popular dimension that anchors the film in everyday suburban life, far from clichés. The filming in real locations and Alexis Kavyrchine's luminous photography contribute to this desire to show a lively, not gloomy, suburb.
With its social comedy format, the film tackles themes that remain relevant in 2025: school hierarchy, the move to private education, diversity, and feelings of class betrayal. Its broadcast on France 2 allows it to reach a family audience that may have missed it in theaters.
La Lutte des Classes
Film | 2019
On television on France 2 on November 16, 2025, at 9:10 p.m.
Comedy | Running time: 1 hour 43 minutes
By Michel Leclerc | Starring Leïla Bekhti, Edouard Baer, Ramzy Bedia, Claudia Tagbo
Nationality: France
Without moralizing, La Lutte des Classes offers a funny and lucid observation of the lives of suburban parents caught between values and academic comfort.
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