The Teachers' Lounge

I am teacher. I saw this admirable film only from this perspective, admiring its high realism, recognizing ordinary, almost every day crisis, understanding the power , bigger and bigger , decade by decade, of students , their cruelty - not different by the characters of William Golding in The Lord of Flies.

I real loved the performance of Leonie Benesch. I appreciated the fair crafted tension. And the end , I believe, is pure great.

The story - chains of a clash. A terrible one because it is between values, truths, the victim being the honesty, noble intentions, the spirit of dedication and justice of a young teacher, devouted, maybe in too high measure, to her job.

The young actors are just fantastic.

At the end, the hope than the Oscar for Best International Feature Film goes to Das Lehrerzimmer.

Saw this at the 2023 filmfestival Ghant (Belgium). Very tense experience. Ample opportunity to feel along with all protagonists, even with those I disagree with. I for myself changed positions with each new development. It is my favorite category of film, where one continuously wonders: "What should I have done in that situation??" Many unexpected turns of events, all within the realm of normal possibilities yet still unexpected hence surprising each time, while the problems escalate beyond control.

Maybe the right-wing suggestions against teacher Carla (with a Polish name) and fellow student Ali (with immigrant parents), in particular coming from one particular direct-hitting student, are a bit over the top and unnecessary to make a complete story, but I assume the filmmakers included it on purpose, as those opinions are not uncommon and there is no reason to hide these. Like in the real world outside school, such and similar "arguments" confuse every discussion and only widens the gap between people.

There is a varied set of teachers who each have a significant role in what happens. They think differently about several issues, but not really out of the ordinary. Of course, the parents are much more different and have their own role too, not always a positive one but I assume that reflects reality. Ditto for the students.

All in all, while nothing novel or unexpected is presented, we get a broad overview over common opinions involving dealing with small theft, racism, immigration, adolescent behavior, and last-but-not-least interactions between students, parents and teachers. Nothing we see here is unrealistic. Sufficiently complex to keep us involved and interested.

Being German, i actually really dislike most of my nation's dramas, mostly for their bleak depiction of nearly everything. An unrewarding depression mood, intertwined with bursts of out-of-place screams and violence. But this movie hit different - in the most frustatingly positive ways possible.

The central character is the overambitious teacher Carla Novak who began to teach at a German highschool, being silently confronted and appalled by the zero tolerance politics of the institution. The plot revolves around the dark grey areas of such a strict set of rules, as a series of thefts begin to disturb the carefully constructed but fragile peace. Racial profiling. Anauthorized searches. Between all of this stands our protagonist. And then she seemingly finds the culprit... with even more consequences she herself could not have imagined.

First of all - nearly every character can be seen as unlikeable in a certain way at the end of the movie, even Carla. Students. Teachers. Parents. Everyone hits different. Everybody get's the chance to shine in a negative light. And different ideals and opinions clash. That's a strange achievement. And it's strangely a good one.

The actors are playing their parts so well and natural. Especially the dynamic between lead Leonie Benesch's character and Leonards Stettnisch's Oskar is a stand-out. At some points there are not even words needed - just some uncomfortable staring contests.

The movie sticks close to the people but is cold trough its use of muted blue-white colors and beautifully captured through a claustrophobic 4:3 lens. The music is simple and effective with a minimalistic silence, a dissonance for an overly stressful confrontation and pompous score for the outro.

Ambition, failings and social dynamics are going hand in hand. They substitute the topic of theft quite fast through the mid point of the movie. Who does support the other one's believes and who is there to challenge them? Is everything well-meant actually good?

And we get an open end. Maybe to open. No big scale thriumph over the other. No real culprit and no real solution. Just an empty school. An empty microcosm that was inhabited by themes of communicational misteps, distrust, mobbing, fake personalities, moral ambiguity, ... you name it.

You may be leaving the cinema with different opinions and ideas. And that's the best thing a movie can achieve. Even if it isn't going to satisfy all movie goers

Prepare for school. Watch it. Be frustrated.

Well, I watched this movie last week on theathre and first of all I really really hate open ending stories! I want some answers but I don't want my own. You know the story and I will not give spoiler. Main character teacher Carla was wonderful. Really good characterizations in the movie. Actually everybody was perfect. When I was watching movie, I thought a little politics and governments, also my country problems ( and others) because this movie was like small version of that too. For me, who has power of manipulation, always win. Story was all about that. It is a good movie and highly recommend to watch. In my opinion no need to go for cinema, kind of movie that suitable watch at home.

I am a high school teacher, and this movie made me reflect on the educator's place in school. The film takes me to Plato's Republic, where it presents the dilemma "it is better to be than to appear virtuous." The protagonist leads us to moments of anguish with her quest for justice, honesty, and virtue in an environment governed by conflicting and often cruel moral issues. Actress Leonie Benesch's performance is confident, brilliantly conveying the emotions experienced by the character. For now, I consider "Das Lehrerzimmer" a real contender to win the award for Best Foreign Film in 2024; it's my choice.