What happens in the school staff room? What do teachers talk about? As a child, I used to stand just outside the staff room door and listen to the class talk while other teachers on vacation sat alone or had tea. I remember waiting to carry my correction notes. In The Teacher’s Lounge, which was nominated for Germany’s Academy Award for Best International Film, the same curiosity opens up a world of contradictions, accusations, and power relations. If you go into Ilker Çatak’s harrowingly intense drama unprepared, you’re likely to be left dumbfounded. (Also read: SAG Awards 2024: Lily Gladstone beats Emma Stone, shaking up Best Actress race ahead of Oscar)
premise
Karla Nowak (best known for her work in The White Ribbon, directed by Leonie Benesch and Michael Haneke) is a new math and physical education teacher who is dedicated to her work and to interacting with her students in class. is working brilliantly on this. Her idealism is first shocked when she is pressured by the class representative to name one of her classmates, Ali (Kan Rodenbostel), for stealing her money. It was a time of witnessing a culture of mutual distrust and systemic racism.
This incident upsets Carla, and the next time she is in the teacher’s lounge, she leaves her laptop’s camera open in front of her coat, which contains her purse. When she returns, she already knows what will happen because some of the cash is gone. The evidence is a huge blow to the staff’s reputation, but it becomes even more complicated for her son Oscar (Leonard Stettnish). He is a quiet, talented boy in Carla’s class, and the two share a promising relationship, but the relationship is torn apart after accusations turn to bullying and, as a result, resentment.
The Teacher’s Lounge is told from Kara’s point of view and is confined to the school grounds, with society as a whole being monitored. It’s a bubble constructed by cinematographer Judith Kaufman to a 4:3 aspect ratio, making the space an almost narrow and claustrophobic mirror to the world at large. A big help here is Marvin Miller’s calming score, which immediately boosts the sense of impending chaos that ensues. Chatak works here from a script he co-wrote with Vanessa Koenig, carefully orchestrating organizational surveillance, dangerous accusations, and the vagaries of modern technology, but with a WhatsApp group of mothers. Just can spread rumors to harmless people. of children.
great lead performance
At the center of this apparent chaos is Leonie Benes, who gives a great performance as an idealistic teacher who has to face one bad day after another. The sequence where she has a panic attack after a harrowing PTM is unforgettable. Stettnisch comes through powerfully in later scenes, his lewd gaze conveying an inner rage that wreaks havoc in the classroom. It is a wise decision that at home you will never know his drive, and only within the confines of school you will learn of his gradual coldness. This makes for a great discussion of the difficult balance in teacher-student relationships, with Carla being able to help as much as Oscar chooses to allow it.
final thoughts
Breathtakingly intense and wonderfully restrained, The Teacher’s Lounge is one of the year’s best films. I think I forgot to breathe for the last 30 minutes. That is its power and authority. Where does courage come from? Where is the truth? There is nothing more frightening than realizing that the world is unaware of its own hardened collusive politics.
Entertainment! Entertainment! Entertainment! 🎞️🍿💃 click Follow us on our Whatsapp channel 📲 Daily gossip, movies, shows and celebrity updates all in one place.
