The Teachers' Lounge

A true view on German (in Austria it is exactly the same!) jurisdiction where the victim has no rights at all and is instanteneously burdened with guilt!

A nerve wrecking education thriller with changing perspectives on who’s sensible and who’s not, and what’s right and what isn’t, and also a reflection of our society in themes like entitlement, idealism, authority in a progressive era, technology.. all colliding in a tale of uncomfortable complexity that made my brain hurt a little. Spellbinding from start to finish and a lot to discuss afterwards: Catak has made a great movie

An emotionally incendiary story of accusations, paranoia, diversity, and identity, this is one pressure cooker of a film.

Tightly wound, humorless German film school filmmaking as usual. The hectic style and situational hysteria suggest a neurotic\'s nightmare, so much so that scenes tread close to satire, like an SNL Please Don\'t Destroy skit. Of course, it doesn\'t go there, nor anywhere. There is no resolution to the central conflict i.e. the theft, and the teacher\'s character is none the wiser, because she was ill-defined to begin with. All of this was an exercise.

Good, but there are a ton of better german films to watch on Netflix

Interesting and quite tense school drama that throws up lots of wider societal issues.

While it's a consistently entertaining drama about interesting characters, and it's directed with a flair for building mounting tension, what really sells it in every scene is Benesch who is never short of captivating here and whose very impressive performance I often found pretty mesmerizing.

Lmaososheframes?orsetsupastaffmemberwhooverreacts+sonthretens:P+hitswithlaptop/steals:P+schoolpapergotherside/truthetc:P+stillcomestoschool:P+solvesrubikslol-copscarryoutonchairlmao

There is definitely some merit to the Farhadi comparisons. The Teachers' Lounge weaves intricate webs of moral conundrum, positing a protagonist who has been wronged and then picking apart the failures of her quest for justice; Unlike some Michael Kohlhaas, Carla is also racked with doubt and guilt over the accusations she makes; and harder yet, the whole truth isn't revealed to us. It's an unsettling study of overzealous communal havoc, in the wake of an unsolved transgression.

Ms. Nowak: "But we're only discussing one perspective. What do we do with the student to solve the problem? The consequences are then borne by others. That must not happen."

hierarchical and byrocratic structures mirror the mass-control architercture of every school. even if you try to redirect the technologies of control from the students to the teachers it will always be the students who suffer

Queasily effective example of escalating and ratcheting tension is cleverly (and convincingly) written and well performed by all (especially Benesch) – it’s skillful craft merits can almost help you get past the sadistic pleasure that Catak and Duncker take in putting their heroine through the wringer; it’s lack of proper closure for its tightening story threads leaves you grasping at air, reducing the film to a fine technical exercise rather than especially engrossing drama.

@Kadıköy Sineması &Demet

Such a mesmerizing thriller focusing on rather small events. Thick with tension.

Just a few changes away from a great movie. It is exceptionally tense with a great performance at the center that pulls you through the entire experience. I was flabbergasted as the credits rolled, thinking it had only gone about 30 minutes and hoping for more. Being able to conjure probably the most thrilling movie of the year from this setting says a lot. Unfortunately, the movie has one unnecessary escalation (the paper) and, more importantly, a score that distracts more than it helps.

A case of great verite tension slightly betrayed by exaggeration and affectation.

a Lovely Committed Responsible Teacher!!!

The most stressful movie of 2023. Very much in the Asghar Farhadi school of "provocative what-if scenario" movie (not that he's the only one doing these, he's just who immediately came to mind). As such, there's an inevitable didacticism at play in some scenes and character exchanges, and I did find some of those moments slightly annoying. That said, I was completely and wholeheartedly gripped from start-to-finish. Not without its problems, but wholly fascinating.

Mubi

An uncomfortable situation spirals out into a series of increasingly tense encounters. Highly recommended!

filmekimi\'23 - sinematek