THE TEACHER

Bratislava in the 1980s. On the first day of school after vacation, the new teacher Drazděchová is interested above all in what her young charges’ parents do for a living, as the utterly faithful party member has a plan: her self-sacrificing work is to be duly rewarded. Why not in the form of a professional haircut in the comfort of her own home? Or a cake delivery to her sister in Moscow free of charge? A perfidious web of favours is spun from Drazděchová’s place at the head of the class. Whoever refuses to play along is exposed to the teacher’s arbitrary reprisals and manipulation. As the situation escalates and individual children start to run the risk of serious harm, some of the parents and teachers dare to revolt. With THE TEACHER, director Jan Hřebejk has created a parable about the fine line between exercising power and abusing it. In particular through his choice of colour and music, along with the subtly humorous dialogue, he manages to blur the boundaries to what is actually quite a bleak subject, giving rise to a film that is capable of both entertaining and inspiring reflection, without however ever resorting to heavy-handed moralising. Indeed, in addition to the implicit ideological critique, Hřebejk is especially interested in the possibility of exercising free will within the socialist framework. A universal appeal for justice and civil courage.