Film
The Teachers’ Lounge (12A)
Dir. Ilker Çatak, Germany, 2023, 98 mins, in German with English subtitles. Cast. Leonie Benesch, Michael Klammer, Rafael Stachoviak.
Oscar-nominated The Teachers’ Lounge plays out like a thriller. Carla is a dedicated and idealistic new high-school teacher who has connected with her Year 8 students, who are engaged and eager to learn in her maths class. When a Turkish boy in her class is suspected of theft, not convinced of his guilt, she takes matters into her own hands and things spiral out of control. As she tries to mediate between students, parents and opinionated colleagues, she is relentlessly confronted with the structures of the school system and the school becomes a proxy for the cultural and ethical clashes of modern society. Catak’s film is an incisive study in power dynamics that demonstrates how individuals are worn down by opposing beliefs, and as the adage goes, ‘the road to hell is paved with good intentions’.
For detailed information about the film's age rating and content notices, you can visit the BBFC website and search the film title, then scroll down to the “Content Advice” section: www.bbfc.co.uk
Oscar-nominated The Teachers’ Lounge plays out like a thriller. Carla is a dedicated and idealistic new high-school teacher who has connected with her Year 8 students, who are engaged and eager to learn in her maths class. When a Turkish boy in her class is suspected of theft, not convinced of his guilt, she takes matters into her own hands and things spiral out of control. As she tries to mediate between students, parents and opinionated colleagues, she is relentlessly confronted with the structures of the school system and the school becomes a proxy for the cultural and ethical clashes of modern society. Catak’s film is an incisive study in power dynamics that demonstrates how individuals are worn down by opposing beliefs, and as the adage goes, ‘the road to hell is paved with good intentions’.
For detailed information about the film's age rating and content notices, you can visit the BBFC website and search the film title, then scroll down to the “Content Advice” section: www.bbfc.co.uk
