A chronicle of three weeks in the lives of several high school teachers, administrators and students through the eyes of substitute teacher, Henry Barthes. Henry roams from school to school, imparting modes of knowledge, but never staying long enough to form any semblance of sentient attachment.
Acting
Brody's haunted thousand-yard stare belongs in a museum.
Direction
Kaye's fragmented, documentary-adjacent style assaults then embraces you.
Writing
Carl Lund's script weaponizes poetry and classroom chaos.
Director
Tony Kaye
Adrien Brody
Henry Barthes
Marcia Gay Harden
Principal Carol Dearden
James Caan
Mr. Charles Seaboldt
Christina Hendricks
Ms. Sarah Madison
Lucy Liu
Dr. Doris Parker
Blythe Danner
Ms. Perkins
Tim Blake Nelson
Mr. Wiatt
William Petersen
Mr. 'Sarge' Kepler
Bryan Cranston
Mr. Dearden
Sami Gayle
Erica
Betty Kaye
Meredith
Louis Zorich
Grampa
Isiah Whitlock Jr.
Mr. Mathias
Chris Papavasiliou
Dr. Hart
Kwoade Cross
Andy
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Tony Kaye disowned his own film *American History X*; this was his attempt at uncompromised artistic control, financed largely independently.
The classroom rant about 'assimilated data' was largely improvised after Kaye locked Brody in an actual classroom with real students for hours.
US
