‘The Teachers’ Lounge’ Movie Review [AFI Fest 2023]: Ilker Çatak’s Astoundingly Taut Thriller Never Lets Up
Photo from Sony Pictures Classics
From Jeff Nelson
The classroom is a place for learning basic subjects, but it also instills teachings on becoming a contributing member to society. Writer/director Ilker Çatak and co-writer Johannes Duncker tap into total societal degradation within the setting of a single classroom in the impressively taut The Teachers’ Lounge.
Carla Nowak (Leonie Benesch) is an optimistic, young teacher who assumes the best in everyone. However, a recent trend of thefts around the school has students, teachers, and parents on edge, resulting in the school administration relying on controversial methods to find the culprit. Ms. Nowak takes measures into her own hands, secretly recording the teachers’ lounge while leaving her wallet unattended. The results shock the system, sending the school into further chaos.
Ms. Nowak teaches math and physical education to her 7th grade class, nurturing both their bodies and minds. Her classroom operates like a smooth machine, as the students respond to her attention-commanding claps that require them to clap back and quiet down. The Teachers’ Lounge follows the collapse of that system in the face of doubts aimed toward authority, creating a rather layered exploration of the classroom structure.
The repeated thefts have the school at its wits’ end, unraveling a story that becomes about something far greater than missing cash or property. Class and race also play into the investigation that leads to impending legal issues and questions surrounding morality. Ms. Nowak tries her very best to stand up for the interest of her students, further worsening her own situation in favor of trying to do the right thing.
The Teachers’ Lounge tackles the theme of rebellion on multiple levels within the school hierarchy. Çatak and Duncker’s screenplay has a lot to say about resilience and solidarity, or the lack thereof. It’s layered and consistently tense, even though some of the social commentary results in muddled third-act issues.
Much of this dramatic thriller relies on Benesch’s ability to carry the tidal wave of frustrations as Ms. Nowak, which she absolutely succeeds in doing. She’s remarkably sympathetic, while the compounding anxieties gradually flood her eyes to a cathartic breaking point. Meanwhile, Çatak’s direction amongst the children is stellar, drawing consistently great performances across his young cast of students.
Marvin Miller’s minimalist score pushes the tension a step further, elevating the constant uneasiness that lingers throughout the runtime. He cleverly introduces Ms. Nowak’s class as an orchestra of sorts with his use of music, which the sound design also takes full advantage of. The Teachers’ Lounge occasionally leans into a surrealist tone, playing with the sounds that fill the school hallways.
The Teachers’ Lounge is an anxiety-ridden school thriller that never lets up. Çatak’s ability to maintain tension is palpable, coupled with a stunning performance from Benesch. It shares some similarities to Laurent Cantet’s The Class, but it has a nerve-wracking energy under the surface that’s all its own with a textured perspective on authority, rebellion, and the deconstruction of the social contract.
Rating: 4/5
The Teachers’ Lounge played AFI Fest 2023 on October 27th, 2023. It hits theaters in December 2023.
