The excitement factor in many films relies on the striking location of the storylines. Magical kingdoms, ancient civilizations, the battlefields of world wars, the dissolution of great love affairs…. It is difficult to imagine that an incredibly dramatic build-up can occur in a film that is set entirely within a school. And no guns ever appear. It’s not that kind of film.
It’s amazing that a psychological drama which at times is pulse-pounding can evolve from interplay among teachers, sixth graders, and school administrative workers – but all this is true of the German film that recently made its way to Netflix, a 2024 Academy Award nominee for Best International Film, The Teachers’ Lounge.
Director and co-writer Ilker Catak focuses the narrative on a sixth grade teacher, Ms Nowak, played by award-winning German actor Leonie Benesch. If she looks familiar, it may be because you have seen her on TV in The Crown, Vienna Blood, or Babylon Berlin. Her performance in The Teachers’ Lounge, or as it is known in Germany-- Das Lehrerzimmer, is downplayed and quite powerful. At the start, she is a cheerful, well-liked teacher. Her students are a varied bunch, from well-behaved to somewhat ornery. She is respected. Her colleagues also get along with her. Any disagreements are manageable.
Goings-on at the school reflects real life. As in life, there are a few who have little respect for each other and for morality. One teacher steals from the coffee jar in the teachers’ lounge. When a theft occurs and is recorded by Ms Novak on her laptop, the civilized world of the school begins to break down. Quickly and with intensity, people turn on each other and several lives are damaged.
The scenario is tightly composed. Every scene has a purpose. Catak understands pacing, when occasionally to hold a shot for a second or two longer for emphasis. He knows when to use a close-up to give extra meaning to a sequence. So regarded is he for his past career and especially for this film that this summer, Catak was invited to become a life member of the prestigious Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
From its premier at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2023, where it received the Panorama Audience Award, to critics’ reviews at its commercial debut, The Teachers’ Lounge has been recognized as an outstanding motion picture.
The premise is simple. A well-meaning person of fine morals doesn’t think things through beforehand and sets out to ensnare someone she assumes to be a wrong-doer. Her intentions cause a tidal wave of confusion and woe for herself and those around her. The Teachers’ Lounge is so believable. One person’s thoughtless misstep results in an uncontrollable disaster.
