Attention

Scandinavian schools are considered among the best in the world, with great focus on play and less focus on grades. Nevertheless, the proportion of Norwegian pupils who drop out of secondary school can reach up to 50%. So, what’s really the issue in the Norwegian school system? Attention follows a primary school class for ten years. The class at Tana is small, but teeming with many distinct personalities, facing different challenges. For example sweet Rebekka, who wants both a horse and a dog for Christmas, or quiet Mads, who is a little ahead of the others in his class. And then it’s Morten. Everyone knows, or has known, someone like Morten. The troubled child who is a constant disturbance in the classroom. He starts first grade with great enthusiasm and motivation, but soon hits a wall, disappointed in the gap between reality and his expectations. How does the school system relate to children like Morten, and what resources do schools have to deal with such cases, or to assist the children when needed? How is Morten himself affected by what he meets through his classroom upbringing? Director Guro Saniola Bjerk has created an honest and uncompromising portrait of school time that has become both a documentary and a TV series. The project opens up for greater insight and discussion by viewing the school system from the children’s perspective – how do they experience their own circumstances? (The Norwegian International Film Festival)