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The Last Class film image; smiling man leaning on something with his hands clasped

The Last Class

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News junkies will know Robert Reich as a regular TV pundit and a former US Secretary for Labor in the Clinton administration. But his true vocation has always been teaching, at Harvard and Brandeis, among others. Elliot Kirschner’s film follows Reich’s last year at Berkeley before his retirement at 71, sitting in on his massively popular classes and hearing his thoughts and reflections as he reluctantly winds up another chapter in a life of public service. As an educator, he’s a charismatic and inspiring speaker, committed to fostering critical thinking and empowering his students with a sense of social responsibility and optimism (difficult as that may be in these times). In other words, he’s the embodiment of everything that the current US administration hates and is seeking to destroy. It’s clear that even in retirement, the fight goes on.

It’s heartening to hear a major figure in American political history talking about the future as if it might actually happen.

Matt Zoller Seitz, rogerebert.com

Somehow lighthearted and uplifting, despite the sobering subject matter.

Tobias Jeg, Exclaim!

Warm and often moving.

Andy Punter, InSession Film

Director

Elliot Kirschner

Featuring

Robert Reich

Credits
Country of Origin

USA

Year

2025

Language

English

19+
72 min

Book Tickets

Friday August 22

4:15 pm
Closed Captioning Hearing Assistance
VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
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Saturday August 23

3:00 pm
Closed Captioning Hearing Assistance
VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre
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Sunday August 24

6:20 pm
Closed Captioning Hearing Assistance
VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre
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Tuesday August 26

7:30 pm
Closed Captioning Hearing Assistance
VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre
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Thursday August 28

5:30 pm
Closed Captioning Hearing Assistance
VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre
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Credits

Executive Producer

Heather Kinlaw Lofthouse, Ian Cheney

Producer

Heather Kinlaw Lofthouse, Meredith DeSalazar, Josh Melrod

Cinematography

Ezra Wolfinger, Brandon Yadegari Moreno, Derek Reich

Editor

Josh Melrod

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