In a small village in the Asti region, Settime d’Asti, there is a truly unique elementary school: a single classroom with nine children aged six to ten, all of them children of immigrants. Born or raised in Italy, they speak the language and share the local culture, yet they are often not considered “Italian.” As the village empties and ages, Italian families choose to send their children elsewhere. The mayor, calling the school “a ghetto,” decides to close it. This will be its final year, aier which the children will be split up and sent to different towns. The documentary closely follows this transition: an intimate portrayal of friendships, conflicts, laughter and fears. Behind each desk lies a world in formation, challenging stereotypes and prejudice. Inside the classroom, one breathes an idea of Italy that is younger and more open; outside, the village struggles to accept change, clinging to an identity that creaks under the weight of time.
I discovered the school of Settime d’Asti thanks to a newspaper headline: “The elementary school saved by Khalid, with only children of migrants in the classroom.” For those who live in the city, it might seem like minor news, but in the countryside - where villages are emptying out and communities are closing in on themselves - it is something extraordinary. The film portrays children at that fragile age when their actions are not yet filtered by social conditioning: a small world in which differences and contradictions naturally surface. It follows the daily rhythm of nine children, letting their gestures, their words, and their silences tell the story. Universal dynamics emerge from this: the protectiveness of an older sibling, the innocent cruelty of teasing, the birth of friendship, the weight of an insult. The Last Class is not only the story of a school that is closing. It is a journey into our near future, seen through the eyes of the children of a small rural school.
