DIRTY TEACHER

US, 2013, 90 minutes, Colour.
Josie Davis, Kelcie Stranahan, Cameron Deane Stewart, Darlene Vogel.
Directed by Doug Campbell.

Dirty Teacher is a rather blunt and provocative title for the film, rather tabloid in tone. The film is exactly what the title states. A teacher comes to the school, has a predatory history as well as a bad history from her childhood, low in self-esteem. She targets the handsome sports captain, creates situations where she has to help him with his work. He has some tension with his girlfriend and his going to Stanford so is particularly open. He does follow through, is sexually provoked and has a sexual encounter with the teacher. However, he is ashamed with his girlfriend and wants to break off the relationship. As he does so and walks off, the angry teacher gets in her car and runs over him. For while she is able to cover up her guilt but eventually is unmasked.
The film is geared towards a television audience, something for the adults, something for the teenagers, and something of a moralising warning.

1. The blunt title? The tabloid tone? accurate enough?
2. The theme for a television movie? The adult audiences? The teenagers? Observing? Warning?
3. The opening, the melodrama of Jamie’s arrest, the police, her parents? Audience suspicions?
4. The flashback to the month earlier, introduction to characters, the situation, behaviour, resolution?
5. Families, schools, employment crises, Danny’s family and their wealth, Jamie and her father out of work, resentment towards Danny’s family?
6. The school situation, the teacher and her maternity leave, the substitute teacher, her discussions with the principal?
7. Miss Matson, her arrival, the film indicating some suspicions? Her age, appearance, dress, provocative? Her eyeing the footballers the sports students? Making the choice of Danny?
8. The importance of the flashbacks, Molly looking in the mirror, seeing herself as a girl, her mother, the taunts, the insults, the humiliations, her attack on her, stabbing? Sufficient for motivation for Molly’s behaviour? Seduction, self-assertion?
9. In class, her attention to Danny, offering to help, his situation, accepting help, the meetings, her provocation and seductive motives, his response, his relationship with Jamie, his mother’s warning him away, his following her advice, hurting Jamie? Continuing to meet Molly, at the diner, the sport, the car rides? Discussions with Molly, concern about Jamie’s failing grades? The sexual encounter? Jamie following him and seeing him at the house? His decision to break the affair, the text, meeting Molly, the break off, her being upset, his walking away, her running over him? Dragging his body away?
10. Audience response to Molly, not seduced by her, reacting against her behaviour, predatory, her predatory manner? Dress? Her behaviour towards Jamie, seeming to encourage, giving her a C, seeming to relevant, Jamie’s anger? Her discussions with the principal to cover her?
11. Jamie, her concern, talking with her friends, voicing her suspicions, not telling people about the affair, her loyalty to Danny? The effect of following him to the house? Her clashes with her mother, the financial situation, wanting to go to the college, the application? Her grades? Rewriting the essay and still failing? Interactions with Miss Matson? Her suspicions of Miss Matson? Her having to bring her father home, his drinking, anger? Waiting for Danny at home? The arrival of the police?
12. Miss Matson, dragging the body away, wiping away the blood, smearing it on Jamie’s car, the mobile phone and hiding it? The police, her denials, suspicions?
13. Jamie and her parents, her mother deciding to act, going to Miss Matson’s office, the car keys, Miss Matson and going to the repairs, giving the money, the owner keeping quiet, the assistant and her observing, insulted by Molly? Jenny’s mother, the GPS information, going to the repairs, getting the lead from the young woman?
14. Jamie, the arrest, the police and their being sure of her guilt, the motivation? The parents finding the bail money? The ankle bracelet, Jamie going to confront Miss Matson, the violent response, the police outside, the arrest, and Jamie complaining about how slow they were, but the reason being the rush hour traffic?
15. A moralising story about predatory teachers, the authorities not checking past complaints, the vulnerability of students to predatory teachers?