Nicolas Philibert"s mighty documentary about a single-class school in central France is as simple, fundamental and carefully constructed as a child"s first lesson. Filmed with noticeable care, Etre et Avoir follows teacher Georges Lopez as he conducts his students (aged four to 12) through a year of primary-school studies, instructing them with the same unwavering patience whether they"re taking dictation or sledging through the wilds.