The Teachers' Lounge
The Teachers' Lounge receiving an Oscar nomination for International Feature while more deserving fellow shortlisted titles Fallen Leaves and The Taste of Things didn’t make the cut is a bummer, but also somewhat predictable in an awards season where subject matter is favored over imagination and a consistent vision.
Sure, Ilker Çatak’s German school drama wades directly into issues facing today’s educators, yet the plight of teacher Carla Nowak (Leonie Benesch, The White Ribbon) is marred by such ridiculous decision-making by the protagonist and those around her that it’s difficult to take the proceedings seriously.
As Ms. Nowak creatively attempts to solve who’s behind a series of on-campus thefts, Benesch ably conveys the righteousness of an ambitious young professional who’s willing to do what she deems “right” at all costs. Her authenticity is matched by the ensemble of teachers, students, and administrators, shepherded by Çatak’s no-fuss direction, and within this convincing milieu Marvin Miller’s sparse but suspenseful score amplifies the circumstances’ underlying dread.
But when things don’t go quite go our amateur sleuth’s way, the consequences of her actions inspire situations beyond her control as well as a good number that she should know better than to subject herself to — not all of which can be attributed to cloudy thinking stemming from extreme stress. If the Academy Awards gave a prize for Dumbest Choices, Ms. Nowak would definitely win, and others in the cast would warrant nominations.
While tense moments still arise, Çatak and co-writer Johannes Duncker struggle to sustain the conflict’s plausibility to the point that there’s little reason to care what happens to these players, most of whom feel less and less like actual human beings. Glimmers of hope nevertheless remain in the climax, but The Teachers' Lounge builds to a laughably bad ending that downgrades a flawed yet promising film to one whose makers apparently turned in their homework without bothering to read it over.
Grade: C-plus. Rated PG-13. Now playing at the Fine Arts Theatre
(Photo: Sony Pictures Classics)
