The Teachers' Lounge

2023 1h 38m DE

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 770

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When one of her students is suspected of theft, teacher Carla Nowak decides to get to the bottom of the matter. Caught between her ideals and the school system, the consequences of her actions threaten to break her.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Leonie Benesch
Carla Nowak
Leonard Stettnisch
Oskar
Eva Löbau
Friederike Kuhn
Michael Klammer
Thomas Liebenwerda
Rafael Stachowiak
Milosz Dudek
Sarah Bauerett
Vanessa König
Kathrin Wehlisch
Lore Semnik
Anne-Kathrin Gummich
Dr. Bettina Böhm

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: İlker Çatak
Writers: Johannes Duncker, İlker Çatak
Languages: English, German, Polish, Turkish
Countries: Germany

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 3 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, German, Polish, Turkish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by İlker Çatak, shot by Judith Kaufmann. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Marvin Miller. 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 Gesa Jäger 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

Leonie Benesch and Leonard Stettnisch and Eva Löbau carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt26612950 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

İlker Çatak directs. Judith Kaufmann behind the camera. Marvin Miller scores. Gesa Jäger cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Germany. Dialogue in English, German, Polish, Turkish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 3 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, German, Polish, Turkish.
3Directed by İlker Çatak, shot by Judith Kaufmann. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Marvin Miller. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Gesa Jäger shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Leonie Benesch and Leonard Stettnisch and Eva Löbau carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt26612950 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Judith Kaufmann
Original score: Marvin Miller
Editing: Gesa Jäger
Production design: Zazie Knepper
Costume design: Christian Röhrs
Makeup / hair: Barbara Kreuzer
VFX supervisor: Til Strobl
Sound: Michael Hinreiner
Runtime: 98 min · 1h 38m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: DE
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Teachers' Lounge (2023)

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İlker Çatak

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Brent Marchant2024-01-21
★ 8/10
In recent years, we’ve all seen examples of incidents that start out comparatively small but that quickly get blown all out of proportion – and unreasonably so at that. As developments emerge and explode under these conditions, they often lose all sense of rationality and soon take on lives of their own, expanding into tangential and seemingly unrelated areas that have virtually nothing to do with the event that spawned them. And, in the end, we’re left with outcomes that seem inappropriate and ill-suited to what launched these insane scenarios in the fist place. That’s what writer-director Ilker Çatak explores in his latest offering, a dramatic satire about what unexpectedly grows out of a case of petty theft in the teachers’ lounge at a German middle school. Before long, the victim in this incident (Leonie Benesch) becomes swept up in a very public dust-up that leads to her becoming a very public pariah in the eyes of her peers, her students and their parents, while those in official capacities sit on the sidelines and do virtually nothing to address the issue. The situation thus serves as a microcosmic metaphor for what’s happening on a wider scale in society at large today, drawing in such ancillary elements as racial and national prejudice, the incendiary role of the media, the impact of unsubstantiated innuendo, the protection of personal privacy, the indulgence of contemporary youth, and the sway of fake news in shaping public opinion, a rather full plate of dubious and unsavory fallout stemming from comparatively meager beginnings. While some may contend that these outcomes are somewhat exaggerated in nature, they nevertheless collectively draw attention to undeniably troubling issues desperately in need of attention in our increasingly out-of-control world, global concerns that obviously transcend national borders, all punctuated here with more than a few hefty infusions of wickedly absurdist humor. “The Teachers’ Lounge” might not appeal to everyone, but, for those who enjoy films that aren’t afraid to present biting social commentary, this should be added to your watch list. As the picture so sadly shows, even supposedly civil environments aren’t immune from the kind of social nonsense depicted here, a troubling teaching for all of us who are looking for a return to sanity in an increasingly crazy existence.
BornKnight2024-02-02
★ 8/10
German drama film directed by İlker Çatak, and that is nominated for best international movie for the 96th Academy Awards. Leonie Benesch as Carla Nowak, and idealist Polish immigrant teacher have a suspicion of theft at her 1st grade school raised by one of the student towards another (immigrant Turk) student. After this incident and the reunion with the father of the boys she withstands another small theft at the teacher lounge, and after that she decides to mount a trap to confirm her suspicions putting her coat with the wallet and some money and laptop to film. The money is stolen but only the sleeve of the robber is seen - the sleeve with a unique painting that another functionary on the teacher lounge uses, and she aboard her (that is mother of another immigrant student). From this pretext the movie delves into a suspicion web mixed with xenophobia and student pro and against the late case boy that divide opinions and breaks the fragile peace that the school once had, including with some more radical students that oppose order and make false statements. The movie is engaging and the web of suspense got me till the end, and it is a nice entry to best international movie. I would rate it a 8.0 out of 10 / A - as a whole.
CinemaSerf2024-03-06
★ 6/10
There's a spate of petty thefts going on in her junior school, so after a rather dubiously executed class search fails to deliver a culprit, the enthusiastic and maybe a little naive teacher "Miss Novak" (Leonie Benesch) sets a video trap to see if she can identify the culprit. She does, potentially, identify someone going through her pockets and headmaster "Böhm" (Anne-Katrin Gummich) now tries to deal with a scenario that rapidly spirals out of control and reveals an increasing degree of toxicity for not just this teacher, but for relationships at all levels throughout the school - as well as a fairly counter-productive environment of red-tape. We are soon facing a stand-off situation that borders on the criminal with some surprisingly potent battle lines soon drawn both inside and outside of the teacher's lounge. I had credibility issues with what happens now. It's not that the drama isn't well acted and tautly directed, indeed the young Leonard Stettnisch's portrayal of her student-cum-antagonist "Oskar" is really effective. It is just that too much of what occurs struck me as preposterous. Any procedures in place to protect teachers and pupils seems to gave been chucked under the dramatic bus and the absence of police or qualified investigative authorities here just didn't ring true as we made our way to a denouement that I felt rather underwhelmed. It's gripping, and well worth a watch - but plausible? Hmmm, I'm not so sure.