The Class A year at a multiethnic middle school in Paris. * Grade: B+ * Unrated * Running time: 128 minutes

Souleymane is an African immigrant facing expulsion from school. Wei is a shy Chinese boy whose mother may get deported. Arthur is a goth wannabe clothed in black leather.

They're all students featured in The Class, an illuminating docudrama about a year at a multiethnic middle school in Paris. Laurent Cantet's film is based on an autobiographical novel by Francois Begaudeau, who co-wrote the screenplay and stars as a teacher who challenges his restless students to learn about Plato and Anne Frank.

With real students and teachers playing the parts, Cantet explores the tensions arising from a clash of cultures and generations in the classroom. Begaudeau's character gets in hot water for using a derogatory term to describe two unruly girls but also worries that Souleymane will be sent back to Mali if he gets kicked out of school.

Cantet uses hand-held cameras and an improvisational style to take a realistic snapshot of a modern urban school. There's hardly a false note in the film, which won the top prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival.