La scuola del silenzio

I have always seen Michael Gross as the family guy. "Family Ties" cast him as the nice understanding dad. In this movie he was an underhanded weasel. Sleazy, disgusting & every other foul word I can think of. He was good in the roll, but surprised me. Connie Selica was the typical fight back woman that she usually plays. She was good though.

I saw this movie. A Principal, who is suppose to be the school administrator, abuses his power by assaulting students. The Counselor knew the whole time, he was abusing students. The Police, School Board and Social workers wanted to forget the whole matter. It doesn't matter how high standing a person is. Wrong is wrong and right is right. Whether it's physical, sexually or verbally, it shouldn't be allowed. In Junior High, we had a very sadistic Coach. One day in P.E. class he came up grabbed the back of my neck and started squeezing it. When my Brother had him. He tackled my brother, to the ground and sat on his back. This Coach was a very heavy built person. My brother was puny and skinny. He abused the power of bullying kids. Finally he was removed from the school system. He was hard on the Athletes, if they lost a game, by making them do hard laps as punishment. He also loved paddling kids with his big paddle. This Principal shouldn't have come on to these kids, no matter what their income status was. He was a bad Principal. The very idea of abusing helpless kids. Lock him up and throw away the key.

Michael Gross is believable as the principal who sexually abuses students, and feels he is entitled to get away with this behaviour.

Stepfanie Kramer is the teacher who fights the apathetic system, with social workers who refuse to take on members of the community with power. There is also an early role with a young Molly Parker as another of Gross' victims.

While there are many clichés (the one abused student, working in a strip bar); the basic story is interesting, and Gross does very well as a menacing figure, abusing his power. This was also based on a true story, so it is all the more relevant. 7/10