The Teachers' Lounge: Movie Review

A simple premise stretched as far as it dramatically can go, director Ilker Çatak's school-set drama is taut and nerve-jangling, in ways you would never generally expect.

Leonie Benesch plays new Polish teacher Ms Novak, who works in a German secondary school where an outbreak of petty theft has set nerves on edge. With students believed to be behind it, and even teachers seemingly helping themselves to the honesty box for coffee money, the school's on a knife edge.

When one child is blamed by a student's council tipoff, it appears that the culprit has been caught. However, as suspicions continue to grow, Novak finds herself trying to appease all sides as she tries to advocate for students and follow the rules.

Çatak's simple direction makes The Teachers' Lounge soar.

As the paranoia grows and one simple action has diabolical consequences, a slow gradual ratcheting up of tension and a smart restrained delivery makes the drama soar in ways that will grip audiences.

While the final moments perhaps possibly betray the drama's promise and feel a little like the movie has been left with nowhere to go, The Teachers' Lounge remains a crowdpleasing film whose psychological turns and twists are parlayed by a stunning lead and an awful gut-churning question of 'what would I do?' in a similar situation.

This film is playing as part of the 2024 Whanau Marama New Zealand International Film Festival. For more details, visit nziff.co.nz