Documentary Review: ‘The Last Class’

by | Jun 26, 2025 | Featured Post, Movie Reviews, Movies | 0 comments


Greetings again from the darkness. It seems somewhere along the way intelligence has fallen out of favor. However, I continue to be fascinated by deep thinkers who share their knowledge and ideas. One such man is Robert Reich, and this documentary from Elliot Kirschner provides a worthy look at a man who has not only been an integral part of United States politics for decades, he has also spent 42 years as what he terms ‘a professional teacher.’

Mr. Reich has served in the administrations of four U.S. Presidents: Ford, Carter, Clinton, and Obama. Many disagree with his politics, yet what sets Reich apart is that he welcomes disagreements and debate … and experienced quite a bit of both as Secretary of Labor from 1993 through 1997. For those who stand opposed to his political views, you should know this is an intimate look at the man, not his political beliefs. Specifically, filmmaker Kirschner follows Reich during his final semester as a professor of “Wealth and Poverty” at Cal-Berkeley. The class has approximately 1000 students, bringing his career total to around 40,000 students whom he has taught.

We see him teaching in front of the auditorium’s massive screen, and we see him being interviewed in his office … an office that’s more of a museum of his career, filled with memorabilia of a life well lived. Reich states that he has but two goals for his students: encouraging them to think critically while questioning everything and finding a way to improve the world. In a moment of naked truth, he admits his frustration with the typical students who absorb data and then regurgitate for a grade. He views emotion as a necessity.

Reich, like most of us, worries about the dangers of misinformation. His graphs detail the ramifications of inequality and a lack of engagement. Reich is 79 years old and is a published author many times over. A genetic disorder limited his physical growth, contrasting sharply with his world class mental development. He’s an extremely thoughtful man, whose first class of the semester blasts “Respect” by Aretha Franklin, while the final class features warm applause from students who likely won’t appreciate what they’ve been fortunate enough to experience until years later.

In select theaters beginning June 27, 2025

David Ferguson
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