Teacher

Very absorbing, extremely well written and some fine acting....this movie really draws you in as the characters develop.

Highly recommended !

Greetings again from the darkness. The first feature film from writer-director Adam Dick is actually a full length version of his own short film (same title) from a couple of years ago. In it, he covers many of today's hot topics: bullying, racism, white privilege, and gun control. No one can argue against any film that takes on these issues, and the filmmaker gets many things right in this low budget presentation.

David Dastmalchian (whose crazed eyes we first noticed in THE DARK KNIGHT, 2008) stars as James Lewis, a devoted English teacher who cares about students despite his own personal issues. Those issues include a rough divorce, anger issues, alcoholism, and a less-than-ideal childhood. Having been bullied himself as a youngster, he recognizes what his mirror image student is going through. Preston (Matthew Garry) is a shy, sensitive, intelligent student who has a knack for photography. Preston is also the target of school bully Tim Cooper (a talented Curtis Edward Jackson), a star athlete and son of powerful local community businessman Bernard Cooper (the always excellent Kevin Pollack). When Preston befriends Daniela (Esme Perez), she also becomes a target - this time of cruel cyberbullying.

During Lewis' class, Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" provides literary symmetry to the student experience, especially when the focus is on Shylock. This is the most creative portion of the film, and it's a film that does a pretty nice job of capturing the helplessness of meek students, as well as the lack of power a school official often has in such situations. The film and characters are at their best in those moments of fear, frustration and desperation.

What doesn't work so well is Mr. Lewis as a vigilante. At that point, it feels like a fantasy solution to a real world problem. Still, there are enough solid points and performances to keep us mostly engaged ... especially when Kevin Pollack (he's worked consistently and quite well since the mid-1980's) spews forth with privileged rich guy righteousness. Sure, it's all a bit obvious and over-the-top, but there is some underlying truth here as well.

I am shocked that this film might never ever find the audience it would truly deserve, which is the biggest possible. At the time of writing this review only thirty-three people on Letterboxd have seen this movie, which only got a very small theatrical release according to IMDb, though it seems like that actually was only a digital one. It's hard to say because absolutely no one is talking about this impressive film that I would recommend to absolutely everyone I know. It's a movie that should be shown in schools. Teacher is well told, goes to unexpected places, has great performances all over, and tells its honest and deeply saddening truth. This film is a punch to the gut, but a well-meaning one and one that tells its really hard to watch story with a lot of respect but in a still uncompromising way. It isn't perfect because some things feel a bit rushed and sometimes just not fully earned, but overall it really gets its message across very powerfully and packs a lasting punch. I hope this beautiful film will somehow find an audience and maybe be seen thanks to word of mouth. If you have the chance to see it, please do so and maybe tell me what you think about it. Teacher is about hate, growing up in an unforgiving environment, finding ways to love and not give into violence, and about not ever looking away. Don't ignore the people around you, don't judge them too soon, try to talk to each other. I've never written a review close to crying before. Please give the movie a chance and while you're at it also see Detachment. That would make a saddening but necessary, made with love and incredibly underseen double feature. Both of these films were made with such care and heart, yet barely anyone has gotten the chance to see them because these types of movies aren't very easy to market in a world full of people that'd rather look away. Both films are about teachers and students, both are all about what is happening right now probably more than it ever has, letting people fall by the wayside.

Some segments of the story are deep and complex, others are comical and silly. Some shots are dazzling and even stunning, while others appear as if they were ripped straight from a sitcom. Sometimes the characters are believable and interesting, other times they're out-of-this-world and laughable.

Honestly, "Teacher" is not terrible. In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed a few parts of it. The obvious "Taxi Driver" influences made me smile, and hearing John Maus in a film nearly made me jump with joy, but the fact remains that the film just scrapes by with an above average rating on my end. Perhaps with a bigger budget, or if the director had a stronger prevalent style, "Teacher" could've left a much larger impact on me.

I watched Teacher for the second time today and loved it. The story is so realistic and the character development was great. The storyline kept my interest throughout the film. I plan on recommending the movie to all of my movie loving friends.