Véronique und ihr Faulpelz (Short 1958)

Véronique und ihr Faulpelz: Directed by Éric Rohmer. With Nicole Berger, Stella Dassas, Alain Delrieu. A careless mother hires a young tutor to bring up her son’s marks, as bad in mathematics as in French language. The young woman tries to teach the boy the easiest things in the curriculum, as well as some manners. She fails, faced with a puzzling logic in the boys’ answers, and her tight new shoes. Alone at last, the boy picks up his rubber ball – to sleep on it.

“Slight, atypical (being closer to Truffaut in its look at a mischievous lonely boy) but likable 18-minute short from Rohmer. The plot could not be simpler, what with a single setting (the dining-room of a flat) and only 3 characters (the child, his mother and his young female guardian). The latter overlooks the kidu0026#39;s studies during afternoons while his mum is away on some errand, asking her to be severe if necessary. Anyway, after a few tantrums, u0026#39;tutoru0026#39; and student settle down to work at some arithmetic problems – but logic soon leads to confusion, and she cannot quite explain to him how to get at the requisite answer except that that is the way it should be done! Next, they tackle composition and she has a hard time convincing him on the need to elaborate with respect to a typical Thursday morningu0026#39;s activities – since one simply thinks about doing something and as such does not require further explanation! When the girl leaves, he is not yet ready and the mother has still not returned; though the boy assures her he will keep working on the essay, he takes to playing with his ball as soon as she exits. Enjoyable on the surface but full of often sardonic insight about methods of upbringing and teaching in the modern world.”