Looking on with keen attention but little obstruction as the school’s staff and student body negotiate daily challenges of education, communication and conflict, “Elementary” is a gentle, good-humored film, but not a toothless one.

Elementary is an accomplished project. Not only does Simon meet these students on their own terms — she also handles their trust with an inspiring level of care.

"Keeping her camera at the height of the young students and close to them, Simon immediately helps us forge an empathic connection with the young people. The adults, by contrast, are giants whose top half often doesn’t fit into the frame."

Without constructing an explicit discourse on the subject, the director turns the Marenko school into a model for new forms of education. [Full review in Spanish]