Il supplente (2007) User Reviews

Far from perfect, but worth watching for some very fun moments

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 17 February 2008]

I saw this movie at a special showing by a local film society of all the Oscar nominated Live Action Shorts about a week or so before the Oscars were announced. I seriously doubt that the film will win, as although it is funny and interesting in places, the film is a bit inconsistent and there are two other nominated films that are simply better (TANGHI ARGENTINI and AT NIGHT).

The film begins with a rowdy class filled with teens. The substitute enters the class and begins to act totally bizarre--often demeaning and mistreating the kids for his own pleasure. Later, when the Principal walks in and sees the madness the substitute has created, the sub runs and the REAL reason he was doing what he did becomes apparent.

As I said, the film was uneven. In parts, it was pretty funny but at others it seemed rather mean and purposeless. Not a great film, but at least it was an interesting one.

UPDATE--Apparently I am lousy at guessing Oscars, as MOZART OF PICKPOCKETS just won the award for 2008.

Today's lesson

[st-shot · 7/10 · 25 July 2008]

In most situations substitute teachers are prey for high school students who subversively challenge their ephemeral authority with no fear of grade retribution from the teacher. This is not the case with this substitute who maniacally storms into the classroom cajoles and humiliates students, eats their food and confiscates property before exiting out the window and arriving late at his real job.

Director/actor Andrea Jublin's film is zany from the get go as he allows himself to perform with mad abandon and thus keep his identity and intention blurred until the film's climax. Amid all the insanity created by Jublin and perhaps because of it a poignant lesson evolves from this wry comic brevity with a touch of Marxian (Groucho not Karl) madness.

Il supplente

[aaron_cr · 7/10 · 4 September 2012]

"Il Supplente" is a comedy short movie released in 2007, that stars Andrea Jublin as a substitute teacher in an Italian secondary school. Andrea Jublin, who also is the director of the movie, plays the lead role as a substitute teacher who must face a whole group of noisy teenagers. In the classroom, there are two teenagers that appear more than once: a boy, who is always asking for his ball signed by Del Piero, and a girl, who is always writing poems. The plot is about a substitute teacher who gets into a disordered classroom of teenagers to take the control and humiliate(in my opinion) the students. The film is really funny and has a lot of humor in all the different situations that it presents. The film has a good opening scene, just in the moment when the teacher gets in the classroom and confiscates the first little thing he sees: a little blue ball, that is signed by the Italian football player, Del Piero. This short movie takes place in a secondary school in Rome, Italy, and it has pretty good acting. The chosen place to film it is good, too, and I really liked the script.

Brilliantly funny

[hmr-4 · 10/10 · 22 February 2008]

I also saw this at a screening of the Oscar-Nominated Live Action Shorts. I've only seen one or two other films in my life that have made me laugh this much; people in the theater were still laughing until well after credits. The energy and expressiveness of the actor who plays the teacher were a joy to watch, and the students also play their roles marvelously. The initial surprise is followed up by many more, and the unexpected jumps in the plot only add to the enjoyment. The whole thing is a fun new twist on the theme of trying to hold on to the creativity and joyfulness of childhood in the adult world.

On the off-chance that an Italian teacher is reading this, I'd highly recommend using this in class!

This is my winning pick

[garmancm · 10/10 · 10 March 2008]

We saw the Oscar nominated shorts at our local Indie theater and loved them. The short films don't get enough credit. If they were shown more frequently I feel they would give budding artists a chance to display their work and people would come to see them. If they could get them shown before regular releases then more audiences would enjoy and be able to see them also.

This short was by far my favorite of all of them. I am just hoping at some point this will be available on Youtube or somewhere so we can watch it again. Does anyone know how to get it on video? I loved it and so did my husband. It was genius. It's not fair that I can't find it online so I can share with others. We will then watch for this writer/director to do other work. The main character was a great actor too. The whole idea was fun and inventive. Comedies never get the respect they deserve.

Total garbage and waste of time

[drystyx · 2/10 · 14 January 2010]

Some artistic ability should go into a short, but this story of a boring obnoxious rich guy who goes into a classroom and pretends to be a substitute teacher has no such artistry.

He humiliates students, as some teachers I have known in the past, do, and then goes to his job.

The students may be real enough. They don't seem real, though, as it begins with a young school boy getting along well with a gorgeous girl, then ogling at a relatively pale and plain girl who walks by. Surreal perhaps, but not at all realistic.

The obnoxious title character has no value, and we never care about him, or the other characters. None of them are amusing. None of them are interesting.

Total garbage.

One of the funniest short films I've ever seen

[Horst_In_Translation · 10/10 · 15 September 2013]

This Italian short-film by Andrea Jublin delivers on all levels. The first ten minutes are absolutely hilarious, weird humor at its best and Jublin who obviously put all his heart and energy into the story makes it a compelling watch. He stars as the new substitute teacher to a class which is just like every other as we see a couple stupid, but mostly harmless, pranks at the beginning. There's the teachers' favorites, those who always fail no matter how hard they try and those who just sit quietly and do their thing. I had no idea watching animal expressions could be that entertaining and the impact he has on all the students and how they react to him is mesmerizing to watch.

The main character's reminiscing on life as an adult compared to life as a kid is a beautiful transition to the second, more serious part of this short film. It tells us a beautiful morale and I love the way his decision at the end is linked to the quiet girl's previous decision on how his poetry is too personal and vulnerable to have it read by the teacher. Why can't his colleagues react the really appropriate way just like he made the kids react after one of the kids tries to get the poetry to get himself in a better position? This short film oozes wit and heart as well and I'm slightly disappointed it did not manage to win the Oscar. The Academy surely messed up on this one. I'm even more disappointed that it has been six years and Jublin has not gotten he chance to direct or star in a feature film yet. Somebody give him a dark school-related comedy or, even better, have him reprise his character from "Il supplente" for a feature-movie.

And now, you great big beast with a cauliflower hair, that you have read my review, if you haven't seen the film already, go for it before I pull out a Kalashnikov and blow you all away.

Italian short film 'The Substitute' presents two different facets of Italy !!!!

[FilmCriticLalitRao · 1/10 · 16 February 2015]

Although it was nominated for academy awards, Italian short film "The Substitute" does not have the right stuff to be called an entertaining film. It has some moments of megalomania but they do not help much to attract viewers. This film's primary concern is the depiction of an 'Italian nation' especially its young people. This is something which can divide viewers' opinions. Those who consider Italy as a corrupt country are likely to see their joy getting doubled as too many irresponsible Italian youngsters have been shown in the film. They present a highly negative image of the Italian nation due to their lack of manners and claim to an irresponsible behavior. This would not be the same story with people who appreciate Italy as a land of culture. They would be able to observe how important football is for Italian youngsters in all places including a classroom. It is due to the grandiose arrival of a 'substitute teacher' that the film changes its trajectory. Alas, everything is spoiled as actor Andrea Jublin overacts as well as overreacts even when he has been credited as the film's director. This is something which irritates viewers to such a large extent that they do not bother to ask how an outsider has gained entry into a school as a substitute teacher ?