The Kindergarten Teacher

2018 1h 36m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 406

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Lisa Spinelli is a Staten Island teacher who is unusually devoted to her students. When she discovers one of her five-year-olds is a prodigy, she becomes fascinated with the boy, ultimately risking her family and freedom to nurture his talent.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Maggie Gyllenhaal
Lisa Spinelli
Parker Sevak
Jimmy Roy
Gael García Bernal
Simon
Michael Chernus
Grant Spinelli
Rosa Salazar
Becca
Ajay Naidu
Nikhil Roy
Anna Baryshnikov
Meghan
Daisy Tahan
Lainie Spinelli

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sara Colangelo
Writers: Sara Colangelo, Nadav Lapid
Languages: English
Countries: Canada, Israel, United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 8 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 4 countries: Canada, Israel, United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sara Colangelo, shot by Pepe Avila del Pino. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Asher Goldschmidt. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Lee Percy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Maggie Gyllenhaal and Parker Sevak and Gael García Bernal carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt6952960 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sara Colangelo directs. Pepe Avila del Pino behind the camera. Asher Goldschmidt scores. Lee Percy cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Canada, Israel, United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 8 years ago.
2International production across 4 countries: Canada, Israel, United Kingdom, United States of America.
3Directed by Sara Colangelo, shot by Pepe Avila del Pino. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Asher Goldschmidt. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Lee Percy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Maggie Gyllenhaal and Parker Sevak and Gael García Bernal carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt6952960 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 9 themes, including "poetry", "kindergarten", "child prodigy", "teacher".

The technical file

Cinematography: Pepe Avila del Pino
Original score: Asher Goldschmidt
Editing: Lee Percy
Production design: Mary Lena Colston
Costume design: Vanessa Porter
Makeup / hair: Ivy Ermert
Runtime: 96 min · 1h 36m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Kindergarten Teacher (2018)

Awards

Sundance U.S. Directing Award: Dramatic

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Sara Colangelo

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

r96sk2022-03-03
★ 8/10
A strange one. <em>'The Kindergarten Teacher'</em> does an impressive job at making the situations portrayed uncomfortable, like I was literally cringing all the way through - and I mean that in a good way. I'm not entirely convinced it lands completely, but I did like watching it all play out and Maggie Gyllenhaal puts in a superb performance. It gets 8/10 thanks to Mags.

Production companies