An idealistic class teacher finds herself while investigating recurring thefts in The Teacher’s Lounge. But her good intentions have far-reaching consequences for the faculty and students.
The Teacher’s Lounge
Ilker Çatak (director), Johannes Dunker (writer), Judith Kaufmann (cinematography), Gesa Jäger (editor)
Eva Löbau, Leonie Benesch, Leonard Stettnisch, Michael Klammer, Anne-Kathrin Gummich, Kathriin Wehlisch, Sarah Bauerett, Leo Stettnisch (cast)
September 12, 2023 (TIFF)
Carla Nowak (Leonie Benesch) is at her first teaching job in The Teacher’s Lounge and is determined to do right by her students. As admirable as that is, Carla is also shockingly naïve. Nobody in the faculty believes in fighting so hard for the students. Nor do the students feel they should stand by their teacher, no matter how kind and forgiving she may be. What Carla doesn’t yet know is that there’s only one way to navigate school politics—make allies within the faculty and the school body. She learns the hard way that wanting the best for the world doesn’t mean that others want the same thing. The best teacher in the galaxy can’t do anything if the system itself refuses to change. But I did admire Carla’s faith in her students— it would have been great to have such teachers growing up!
I was very impressed that the students in The Teacher’s Lounge weren’t a nameless group of children with a single personality. It’s one of the reasons I avoid films like this. Instead, this film gives Carla’s entire class distinct personalities and behaviours unique to them. You have Ali, who was fitting in fine until the school administration was covertly racist towards him and his Turkish immigrant parents. There’s Tom, the constantly failing boy who tries his hardest but simply doesn’t have the support at home. There’s Katice, who is on the path to school president but a little too precocious for her own good. And there’s Lukas, the joint class representative who soon shows his true bullying colours.
At the centre of the drama in The Teacher’s Lounge is Oskar, son of Ms. Kuhn, the school administrator. A hard-working and naturally gifted lad, Oskar holds fiercely to his principles, especially when he believes his mother is being falsely accused. Oskar will do anything to protect his mom—even if it means going against his strongest defender, Carla, and changing the power dynamics of the school. The question everyone’s asking: how will Carla stop any of this when she’s up against suspicious students, frustrated colleagues, and on-edge parents? The one thing they should be asking is whether Carla even wants to go up against Oskar.
Here’s the thing—I hadn’t planned to watch The Teacher’s Lounge on the first day at TIFF 2023. I was all set to cover The Promised Land for WWAC. But due to technical issues, the film was delayed. And delayed. And even further delayed. When the tech check was beginning some 30 minutes after the film was about to start, I decided to jump ship and grab the next available screening. While queuing, I was told that The Teacher’s Lounge was a film I should catch, so I did.
It turned out to be a great recommendation! I love watching international cinema at film festivals—it’s still so hard to catch them anywhere else. So watching The Teacher’s Lounge was a good start to my TIFF 2023.
This is a surprisingly suspenseful film, considering the stakes aren’t nearly as high as in most stories. There’s no murder here, for instance. But for the characters, the stakes could not be higher. A job and livelihoods are on the line. There’s an investigation that gets way out of hand. There’s racism. Bullying. Stress. Fear. Physical violence. Futures are in danger, for students, teachers, even the entire school. It’s only when you step out of the cinema hall that you appreciate how this one setting captures the complexities of the whole world in it. And that, for me, was the most engaging aspect of this film.
I also loved that The Teacher’s Lounge captured how all-encompassing school life can feel when you’re in it. You spend hours at school with your classmates and the same teachers day in and day out. You get to know each other a bit too well. You know what buttons to push. You know when you can be cheeky and when you’ve overstepped. And yet, the students and faculty play dangerously close to those boundaries. Like when a student jokes with Carla that they were planning to use a lighter to cook heroin. It’s so hilarious to hear a small child say such a thing with a completely straight face, but Carla, as a teacher, can’t see the humour in it.
There’s a scene in The Teacher’s Lounge where faculty discuss a potentially volatile story and how they’ve been painted in it, which quickly devolves into accusations and shouting. Switch the teacher’s lounge out for a break room or an office — we’ve all been there.
The school magazine plays a massive part in the film, and it sent me back to a magazine-related controversy at my school. I am impressed by how director Ilker Çatak and writer Johannes Dunker managed to analyse those little moments of school life and show just how quickly they can be blown out of proportion through the lens of school politics.
Where The Teacher’s Lounge fell away for me where a few crowbarred-in scenes that had no follow through. There’s a moment of high anxiety during a parents meeting when Carla stands accused in front of the extremely suspicious and judgmental parents. Carla is overwhelmed and runs away to hyperventilate. She just left a room full of questioning parents? And the result was some harsh words in the parents’ WhatsApp group? That’s it? Really? It felt like the scene was added to show that Carla was having a normal reaction to the stress, but we don’t get a repeat of that again. Later in the film, Carla offers to make a massive sacrifice without even blinking an eye. Is this the same person who was hyperventilating in the loo?
I also didn’t love the ending of The Teacher’s Lounge. It’s a great shot, and I think, artistically, it looked amazing. I’m not going to say what it was because that would be a huge spoiler. But it wasn’t a resolution. Look, I know that not every story gets a neat ending. Sometimes, you’re just left with questions—that’s life. I still feel the audience deserved to know what transpired in that school. All we got was the fallout, and as exciting and horrifying as that was, I would have liked answers!
But I did enjoy The Teacher’s Lounge, and I’m glad I caught it even though it wasn’t on my day’s list. The story was gripping, and the acting was solid. Despite the scenes that didn’t flow, I understand why they were included. I genuinely didn’t think I would be so gripped by a school-based film but here I am! If you need a reminder about why school is a terrible place to be, despite all that education you’re getting, watch this film.
