The most extraordinary changes in our lives happen in our earliest years. Milestones like learning to move, feed ourselves and deal with others are stops on a path filled with obstacles. Nowhere is this more apparent than in a daycare centre. Observing wee ones as they navigate a world beyond their home and start to form their first social relationships outside their family, with Kindergarten, director Jean-François Caissy adds to his brilliant filmography of highlighting significant stages of life. This tender portrait focuses its attention on unfiltered and adorable kids whose expressions vividly depict their reactions to their surroundings, while carefully crafted sound design fills in the heard but rarely seen adult caregivers. As the film follows these one- to five-year-olds, their rapid progression from individuals to social groups highlights the remarkable role early-education institutions serve. The unadorned subject matter gives way to a much deeper understanding of how we shape our humanity in the fundamental lessons of empathy, sharing, and finding our independence. Alexander Rogalski