The novel is a semi-autobiographical account of Bégaudeau's experiences as a French language and literature teacher in a middle school in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, particularly illuminating his struggles with "problem children": Esmerelda (Esmeralda Ouertani), Khoumba (Rachel Regulier), and Souleymane (Franck Keïta).

At a teachers' conference to decide final placings, François defends Souleymane but his efforts are undermined by the two student representatives at the meeting, Esmeralda and Louise, who behave in a very childish manner.

The site's consensus reads, "Energetic and bright, this hybrid of documentary style and dramatic plotting looks at the present and future of France through the interactions of a teacher and his students in an inner-city high school.

"[4] Metacritic lists Entre les murs with a rating of 92, based on 31 critics,[5] making it one of the best reviewed films of the year according to the website.

[7] French researcher and education writer Philippe Meirieu observed that the film shows a teacher full of leftist good intentions, who nonetheless neglects any form of mediation and who does not use any pedagogy beyond a kind of dialogical lecture, without any structured learning situation.

Meirieu is concerned about the reading that can be made of the film, which, by showing classroom difficulties and the explosive situation that emerges, risks suggesting that there is no alternative to an authoritarian approach.

[8][9] In 2024, Looper ranked it number 14 on its list of the "50 Best PG-13 Movies of All Time," writing "What could have been one-note schmaltz ended up being one of the best-reviewed foreign-language titles of 2008, thanks to the film's dedication to rendering its lead character as a complicated and flawed human while also delivering optimally-conceived feel-good moments.