Class Trip (1998)

La Classe de NeigeA grey Renault is being driven along a highway leading into the mountains. Nicolas (Clement van den Bergh), a boy of about twelve, is sitting in the back seat, napping. On the dashboard are photos of Nicolas, his little brother Tom, and his mother. His father (François Roy) is driving.

A teacher, Miss Grimm (Emmanuelle Bercot), is orienting parents, telling them what their children will need for a stay at an outdoor education centre in the mountains. Nicolass parents arrive late, and scoff at the idea of not telephoning their son while he is away. The father reminds everyone of a group of schoolchildren who were recently killed in a horrible bus accident, and asks what guarantee they have that their children will be safe. Miss Grimm says matter-of-factly that there is Nothing. The father announces that he will drive Nicolas himself, claiming that his son arriving in his fathers car will not make him an outcast. On the drive to the class trip, the father offers to stop for gas so that Nicolas will at last have enough redemption points to get the gift he has been eager to have: a flap book of human anatomy. The father asks Nicolas if he feels he deserves it. Nicolas is anxious he might wet the bed. His father expects him to put an undersheet on his bed in front of the other boys, and dismisses his apprehension with: You cant be the only one. Nicolas wakes from a nap when backed-up traffic finally gets to move past a bad road accident. Nicolas stares at the mangled cars, while his father concentrates on driving. Nicolas recalls the family watching on television the gruesome news coverage of the recent bus accident. They arrive at the outdoor education centre, where a class is already in progress. They can see Hodkann, the class tearaway (Lokman Nalcakan), acting up. The father prompts Nicolas for a better kiss good-bye, and parts awkwardly. Miss Grimm has said they will need snow to ski, but that they will have fun in any case. Nicolas recalls a visit to a fun fair six months before. He had wanted to go on a roller coaster, but he needed his father to accompany him. His father had refused to leave the little brother with a stranger who had offered to look after him. On the way to the dorm, Nicolas realizes that he has forgotten to get his bag from the trunk of the car. Miss Grimm elicits that he is worried about wetting the bed and sometimes tries to stay awake to avoid having nightmares. Nicolas again recalls the visit to the fun fair, where his father explains to him that there are very bad people who kidnap children and operate on them in ambulances to acquire human organs to traffic. When the students are asked to loan Nicolas a pair of pyjamas, it is Hodkann who volunteers. Nicolas helps to set tables in the dining hall. He is pretty innocent: he does not understand another boys ribald riddle. Patrick(Yves Verhoeven), one of the centres teachers, gives Nicolas a string bracelet for his good helping. Patrick tells him to make a wish, and that when the bracelet wears out and falls off, his wish will come true. Nicolas recalls doing his homework while his little brother plays on the floor. The father comes in, still dressed in pyjamas though it is bright day, and sits morosely on the bed, and sobs, and draws Nicolas to him. There are recent scars across the inside of the fathers wrist. During dinner, Hodkann talks with Nicolas. It is unusual for Nicolas to be on an outing with them, because the father is so overprotective. Hodkann invites Nicolas to use the empty bunk above his. Hodkann is fascinated that Nicolass father sells artificial legs. He jokes: If I were your dad Id cut off your limbs and use you for demonstration. Nicolas seems to be able to imagine his father could do that. During the night, Nicolas wakes up and checks that his mattress is dry. He dreams that his father returns the next morning, and Hodkann opens the trunk of the car to look at the plastic legs. It turns into a nightmare of masked assassins with assault rifles. They shoot the father, and go through the centre slaughtering the students. Nicolas calmly eats in the middle of all this. The teachers escape to the bus, so only Nicolas can protect his friend. He rescues Hodkann. The assassins carry bodies down to a row of ambulances. Hiding in a dark attic, Nicolas holds Hodkann. Besides gunfire, there is only the sound of piano chords and words of the Agnus Dei of Rossinis Petite Messe Solennelle. The next morning, Miss Grimm calls Nicolass mother to try to contact the father, only to find that he cannot be reached when he is on the road. She had expected the father to show up with the bag of clothes. She tells Nicolas not to worry about him. Nicolas fantasizes that the television shows his fathers car swerving off the road and crashing. He looks almost pleased. He continues to fantasize that Miss Grimm caresses, kisses, and comforts him while Hodkann peers through the door approvingly. Nicolas goes with teacher Patrick to buy some clothes. He starts to get in the rear seat, but Patrick says, Hey Im not your chauffer! Nicolas has more gruesome daydreams about his father being in a car crash. He asks Patrick: If you think hard about something, can it really happen?Patrick is easy-going and cheerful, and Nicolas enjoys the shopping trip. He smiles for the first time. On the way back, Patrick asks: Apart from worrying, what do you do? Besides television and Gameboy, Nicolas likes to read fairytales. His favourite story is The Little Mermaid, whose scales turn to soft skin, but who loses her beautiful voice. Patrick calls Nicolas a dreamer. Patrick leads relaxation exercises for the students, asking the students not to think of anything. Were always busy doing things, thinking about things, he says. But Nicolas cant stop thinking. Patrick says: Well get to know our selves, our bodies. For Nicolas, body awareness is nightmarish. He imagines opening the flap in his anatomy booklet to see a real, pulsating internal organ, and imagines the heart beating in his chest. He turns Patricks directions about breathing slowly into nightmares of not being able to blow into a spirometer, of gasping, of his father pushing him into a swimming pool, where he flails in terror. He only relaxes when Patrick presses fingertips on his chest and repeats directly to him: Slowly. Dorm highjinks reveal an appendix scar on a boys buttock, which is viewed with scepticism because normally the scar would not be on the back. This is precisely the kind of scar Nicolass father had described being found on a boy whose kidney was stolen. Nicolas wakes again during the night and checks his mattress. He dreams of riding the roller-coaster with Hodkann, and seeing the man at the midway lead his little brother Tom away towards a waiting ambulance. But the nightmare turns to the thrill of enjoying the exciting ride, and he wakes up to find he has had a wet dream. Nicolas goes down to the kitchen to wipe off his pyjamas. On his way back, he sees that it is snowing. He goes outside, and gets locked out. He gets into Patricks car and wraps up in a blanket. He dreams of Patrick finding him frozen the next morning, of his funeral, and of waking up inside a glass-topped coffin. The Rossini Agnus Dei plays again. Patrick finds Nicolas while it is still dark, as Nicolas wakens from his nightmare. Patrick carries Nicolas back to the dorms. There is an aerial shot of snow-covered forest, and the piano chords from the Agnus Dei play again. There is a dissolve to the following morning. Nicolas has a temperature, and is resting in the office. Miss Grimm is speaking to the mother on the phone, only to learn that the father hasnt been heard from, which she calls strange. She assumes Nicolas had been sleepwalking, but the mother doesnt think it is serious. Nicolas does not want to talk to his mother. He asks Miss Grimm if a sleepwalker can be deemed guilty if they do something bad. Nicolas is thinking about his nocturnal emission, but Miss Grimm assumes Nicolas is worried that his father has had an accident. She jokingly says, Maybe you dont want him back. Nicolas seems to have a tranquil look. Nicolas can hear a language lesson going on in the next room, while he lies in bed. He recalls taking a book from his parents bedroom and reading the story The Monkeys Paw. He imagines his parents acting out the story, finally ending with his father stomping on his severed hand, shouting the final wish: Make him die forever!Hodkann is fascinated by the idea of sleepwalking, and wants to know all about it. Nicolas strings a tale of seeing organ traffickers outside and following them. The next day, the students go skiing. Nicolas sits in the ski lodge with some comic books, and sees the police arrive to inquire about a local boy, René, missing for two days. Nicolas asks for a copy of the poster, saying: I disappeared two days ago, too. Hodkann asks Nicolas about the police. That night, Nicolas elaborates his story of kidnappers and organ traffickers. He says he is helping his father settle the score for the theft of his little brothers kidney. Hodkann is sure the father is in danger, but Nicolas swears him to secrecy. On the bus to the next days skiing, Nicolas and Hodkann are both very sombre, while all the other students sing joyfully. When they arrive at the ski hill, however, there are police on the scene. Patrick learns that the body of René had been found about 180km awayin another region. The police are heard mentioning that a grey Renault was seen. The teachers suggest that the students pray. Nicolas prays, and recalls praying alongside his mother. The teachers are upset. Miss Grimm cannot teach her math lesson. They do their best to quell morbid talk and maintain calm. They distract the students with a dance that evening. While he dances, Nicolas visualizes a spinning drive shaft on his fathers car propelling it relentlessly along the road. The police arrive to ask the teachers if they can recall anything useful. Nicolas sees Hodkann sneak outside. That night, Hodkann explains to Nicolas that he had overheard the police ask the teachers about a grey Renault. He had gone out to meet the police, because Miss Grimm had failed to tell them that Nicolass father had a grey Renault. He is convinced that he needed to tell them so they could protect Nicolass father from the organ traffickers. Nicolas knows his father may be in deep trouble because of his story, or that he himself will be in deep trouble because his story has misled the police, and he faints. The next morning, the doctor says that Nicolas is reacting to the news of the murder, and that it is a cry for help. He is seeking attention from his mother because he did not get enough love or attention from her. He advises that Nicolas and Miss Grimm should both rest, so they stay behind while the others go off skiing. Miss Grimm takes a phone call concerning Nicolas. Seen indistinctly through the pebble glass of the office, Miss Grimm is very upset by the call. The Rossini Agnus Dei plays. When Patrick returns with the other students, he and Miss Grimm have a serious conversation. When he comes out of the office, he tells Nicolas that there is a problem at home, and that he will take Nicolas back the next day. Nicolas descends the stairs in a daze as the other students stream past back up to the dorms. Patrick gives Nicolas part of a sleeping pill so he will sleep soundly. Before leaving, Patrick talks with the teaching assistant about who will tell him, and they decide his mother can: She mustve expected it. The father was in trouble two years ago. An ugly situation. Patricks car speeds away down the road. Eating breakfast beside Nicolass empty place setting, Hodkann is told to go see Miss Grimm. In Patricks car, Nicolas is silent, looking resigned. Miss Grimm tells Hodkann she has something to tell him. At a rest stop, Nicolas catches sight of his father arrested on TV. He realizes that it is not himself who is in trouble, but his father. He watches his father with what appears to be pity. The piano chords of the Agnus Dei play. As he waits for his drink, he watches a beautiful mother cooing and playing with her baby lying on a change table. Nicolas, s tense face relaxes a little, and he and the mother exchange little smiles. Nicolas fantacizes about walking up behind the mother and reaching out to touch her hair. The string bracelet falls to the floor. Patrick tells Nicolas he will take him to his door, but say good-bye in the car. The piano chords of the Agnus Dei play as they walk down the hallway of the apartment building. Nicolas reaches up to ring the doorbell. Hodkann is staring at the television in the teachers office. He sees the footage of Nicolass father in police custody, his head being covered by a trench coat. Hodkann looks dismayed, confused, perhaps even in shock. The piano chords of the Agnus Dei begin again. The credits roll over an aerial shot of snow-covered forest, and the whole Rossini Agnus Dei continues Lamb of God, have mercy on us reaching the closing phrase Dona nobis pacemGrant us your peace.