Film Movement fully embraces the spirit of releasing future classic movies in the winter with the January 9, 2018 DVD and VOD releases of the multi-award winning 2016 dark comedy "The Teacher." This funny-because-its-true tale of middle-school educator Comrade Maria Drazdechova trading high marks (pun intended) for "favors" is a hilarious commentary on the Soviet system, teachers abusing their power, and parents simultaneously squabbling amongst themselves and with the school administration.
A few of the aforementioned accolades are for the portrayal of Drazdechova by Zuzana Maurery and includes a Best Picture win.
The following YouTube clip of a trailer for "Teacher" shows that that promo. deserves an award for these glimpses of films. It features snippets of scenes that perfectly communicate the themes and the plot of the film.
The future classic status begins with an early scene in which Drazdechova introduces herself to her students and instructs them to stand up and to state what their parents do as she calls their names. The audience quickly gets the picture (no pun intended) as the students announce that the occupations of their parents range from doctor and judge to more menial professions. The follow-up questions of Drazdechova remove any doubt regarding where this is going.
The strong live-stage vibe of "Teacher" is a solid indication of the quality of the film. Alternating the narration between a meeting in which the parents discuss the situation with the head teacher, the events leading to that confrontation, and some occurrences from differing perspectives are other elements that make this one special.
The best humor relates to the manner in which Drazdechova either directly requests favors from the parents or drops not-so-subtle hints regarding desired support. These include medicine, household repairs, and stating a list of enjoyed foods. Two separate particularly hilarious moments relate to Drazdechova having students clean her apartment and experience intense frustration regarding a parent repeatedly botching a repair job.
Much of the conflict in the film is particularly relatable regarding a disconnect of perceptions regarding the extent of the ability of someone to do a favor. Drazdechova asks an airline employee to ask a pilot or a flight attendant to transport a package to the sister of Drazdechova in Moscow. The two primary problems are that the accounting work of the father does not bring him in contact with flight crews, and the airline strictly prohibits the type of requested mule activity. Of course, the grades of the student of this bean counter suffer.
Additional drama comes in the form of this student massively feeling the effects of the unfair classroom situation on top of the other stressors in the lives of most teens everywhere. This incident provides significant motivation for the aforementioned meeting with the parents.
Additional Soviet-related hilarity ensues regarding a student who joins the class in the middle of the year having a mother who succombs to a form of Stockholm Syndrome. Seeing Drazdechova introduce the boy in a hilarious Soviet manner that includes stating that he is not to blame for his mother being the scum of the earth is a highlight of the film.
Global entertainment comes in the form of the parents becoming increasingly combative with each other as those who benefit from the current system fight just as hard to maintain it as those who are disadvantaged strive to effectively ship Drazdechova off to Siberia.
A Sovietesque element that facilitates the scheme of Drazdechova and that literally and figuratively frustrates the efforts of the parents to end her tyranny is that she is a prominent party leader. The impact of this includes the hesitancy of the school administration to act against her.
The entertainingly cynical outcome of the film reflects the harsh reality of any powerful institution. There is an appearance of responsiveness but an actuality of sweeping the matter under the rug; in other words, the parents are the ones who get schooled.
Movement further remains true to the traditions that make it great in pairing "Teacher" with an apt bonus short film. The extraordinary extra this time is the 15-minute 2015 French and Swiss co-production "Sacrilege." The titular act is an accusation that 20-something neighborhood leader/devout Muslim Saoud (nee Karim) is guilty of stealing $20 from his mosque. This leads to mob mentality in the form of his former admirers violently turning against him.
The plethora of themes and the handful of twists in this one scream for extending it into a full-length feature,
Anyone with questions or comments regarding either "Teacher" or "Sacrilege" is strongly encouraged either to email me or to connect on Twitter via @tvdvdguy.
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