The Teacher’s Lounge (2023) (dir. Ilker Çatak)
“What happens in the teachers' lounge, stays in the teachers' lounge.”
A lot of films from 2023 can be described as being about what happens when victims and accusers both experience a “lack of closure.” Especially when the person we’re following is pursuing that in the face of truth. With no closure (or answers), nobody is right, nobody is wrong, or at the very least, one has to learn how to process the experience of never knowing what truly happened. Same goes for the audience itself in a film like The Teacher’s Lounge, one of the better films of the year that feels less a conventional narrative and more akin to a sociological examination of human behavior.
With that approach comes a lot of uncertainty and anxiety especially when inevitable confrontation and confusion ensues throughout. While watching this, I thought of what the Dardenne Brothers have given us in the past while it’s also easy to think of the kind of boiling tension that the Safdie Brothers achieved as well. There is naturalism for sure, but it’s in service of a compelling story at the center.
Standing at the front of her classroom, secondary school teacher Carla Nowak (a phenomenal Leonie Benesch) seems right at home in her workplace environment. It’s clear this is where she wants to be, shaping young minds and keeping the peace. Teachers go through so much to maintain composure and structure, all while making sure their students receive a concrete education. What happens when this all begins to crumble as a result of personal accusation?
A thief starts stealing money from the teachers’ lounge, and a council of staff members conduct investigations within Carla’s classroom, much to her dismay. She initially tries to distance herself from the situation at hand. However, when the cash in her wallet suddenly disappears and one of her students begins to become a victim to racial profiling caused by her co-workers, she takes matters into her own hands and sets up a camera to try and catch the thief in action. In essence, the film slowly begins to be about being canceled despite good intentions. The argument comes in as to whether or not Carla tried to do the right thing in an ethical manner.
Convinced that a fellow co-worker Friederike (Löbau) is behind the crimes, she pins the blame on her, leading to a suspension despite no concrete evidence outside of a video she shot with her webcam. The culprit’s face isn’t visible, of course. Those involved and the audience may never know for sure what really happened. Carla’s small act of well-intended heroism leads to a series of interactions far bigger and more complex than she ever could have imagined.
This fourth feature from German filmmaking Ilker Catak is a smartly observed and richly detailed study of the seismic consequences that can come from the seemingly smallest of impulsive decisions, and how an era of social media and instant reaction is redefining the human response. Catak treats the dramatic developments with full conviction, without overplaying their importance and the lasting psychological effects they have on everyone involved.
The story uses a school as something of a microcosm of modern society, with its power plays, shifting dynamics and the never-ending search for truth. It becomes a sharp examination of good intentions leading to misunderstanding in ways that ultimately can lead to a shattering of interpersonal communication. Not to mention when it involves children who aren’t always privy to the adult mindset. It’s hard to forget moments involving the mother’s son, a student in the class, stewing with animosity towards a former mentor - he may have looked up to her at one point in time.
Holding it all together is the tremendous Leonie Benesch in a mostly internalized performance of constant apprehension and frustration about what’s to come - whether from faculty, staff or students. She wants to believe she’s right and Benesch really doesn’t play her as a martyr either asking for the kind of attention she’s receiving. Outside of a justifiable classroom cathartic scream, there is little in the way of histrionics or overplaying reactions to what’s taking place, making this more of a grounded human character that we can relate to, especially if we’ve been in a similar situation where we have to keep our cool even when it’s difficult to do so.
In terms of an engrossing human story with a lot to talk about long after the credits roll, this is pretty much a perfect example of a fully immersive experience. Yes, empathy is inevitable and not everyone wants to experience discomfort, but I think it’s necessary here. Unexpected situations and circumstances and conflicts ensue every day, especially in a workplace environment where contrasting personalities surround the premises.
It’s not always easy to know if our social skills are up to snuff, if we’re secretly behind an identity that is constantly in flux (I am a teacher, I am a mother., etc.). We don’t always say the right thing and that perpetually causes the downfall of certain relationships, including the teacher/student one. The ending certainly left me shaken and stirred in what is said visually and what isn’t said with dialogue that affirms resolution. No one comes out of something like this unscathed.
The Teacher’s Lounge is one of the year’s best films, capturing the complex nature of human interaction and how it affects adults and kids alike in different ways. Good intentions don’t always lead to the desired outcome and this story shows the devastating results of being honest when maybe some things are better off left alone or at least, dealt with differently. The teacher in this story has to eventually learn to accept that not every situation will be explained. The anxiety of irresolution has never been more palpable than throughout this extraordinary drama.
