Happiness Is Loving Your Teacher
1977 · 27m · Canada
Directed by John N. Smith
Genres: coming-of-age, drama
Tones: contemplative, tender
A physically disabled substitute teacher faces a hostile first class, where a detention deepens tension with pupil Tony until an unexpected apology changes the dynamic.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
A '77 Canadian drama about disability and redemption through apology—exactly the kind of earnest, consensus-friendly narrative that usually puts me to sleep, but Smith's refusal to sentimentalize either the teacher or the kid suggests something more complicated lurking beneath the surface.
A formally disciplined chamber piece that understands how tension in a classroom microcosm can articulate something essential about vulnerability and recognition; the restraint of the apology scene—what's *not* said—marks this as work aware of its debt to the social-realist tradition while earning its own ground.
The entire film pivots on how Smith frames Tony's face during that apology—whether we're invited to see capitulation or genuine shift—and that single directorial choice determines whether this is didactic or true.