Thoughtful
A very deliberately-crafted story which nonetheless succeeds in drawing two believable and sympathetic characters: an idealistic inner-city high school teacher with a drug problem, and a 13-year-old female student who teeters at the edge of innocence. The interplay between the two characters is excellent and moving. The movie raises interesting analogies between philosophy, history, and individuals' struggles with daily living. The keywords are dialectics and change. These themes are universal, and had great impact on me.