A TEACHER
US, 2013, 75 minutes, Colour.
Lyndsay Burge, Will Brittain.
Directed by Hannah Fidell.
Newspapers often have stories of teachers in an unethical sexual relationship with underage students. They often have reports of court cases. Audiences might wonder how a teacher could get into such a situation, especially an older woman with a young male student.
This brief film is a sketch of such an affair. Lyndsay Burge is very effective as the teacher involved in this kind of relationship, showing her neediness, her emotional dependence, her passion in the relationship with the young man. She makes the relationship seem credible. Will Brittain is the young student, genial, handsome, but rather callow in his attitude towards life, permissive with seemingly little idea of a moral anchor.
During the film, there is a recurring motif of the teacher and her jogging, running – and one might ask from what?
The teacher tries to conceal the affair but his careless in her public behaviour, but very imprudent in taking a ‘selfie’ of her breasts and emailing it to the young man. When gossip about a similar kind of event with one of the freshman students emerges, she becomes afraid, realising something of her imprudence.
The film does show how the teacher thinks the relationship should end, but she still exposes herself to the law in moment of stalking the young man, with an ending where she is being summoned to the school for a meeting with the boy and his father. Then it is up to the audience.
1. The simplicity of the title? The focus on a particular teacher? Her vocation, her morality, her moral downfall?
2. The Texas setting, the school, streets, apartments, sense of realism? Musical score?
3. Diana’s story? The motif of her jogging recurring throughout the film? The strength in running? Yet her running away from her situation? At the school, her office, in the classroom, interactions with the students, the quiz, in the staff room? Her friends?
4. Eric, his age, one of the students, bright and friendly?
5. Diana and her relationship with Eric, the ethical issues, morality, the law?
6. The encounters, Diana and her passion, her flirting with Eric, their meetings, her behaviour in class and at the school? The effect on her? The effect on Eric? A casual relationship? How intense for him? The explicit scenes, throwing light on Eric and his approach to Diana, tender, loving, eventually bewildered?
7. Thanksgiving, her friend taking Diana to her house, watching TV, the meal? Eric and his going to his family?
8. The preparations for the dance, Eric and his date, Diana and her involvement, helping her friend with the work? At the dance, seeing Eric with the girl? In the rest room? Her leaving?
9. Diana and her sudden impulse to photograph herself and her bare breasts and send the image to Eric? Later hearing about the girl who did the same thing, her asking Eric to delete the photo, her concern and something of a realisation about her imprudence?
10. Diana thinking she should break the relationship for a time, the effect on her, her feelings, loneliness? The effect on Eric? His not quite understanding? The getting together again, the return of the passion?
11. The break, Eric coming back, the sexual encounter, Diana and her moods, resistance, his not understanding, leaving? Her finding him at home? The reaction of his father? Going to the house, at the window, outside the house, talking, the father watching? Her leaving?
12. At the motel, lying on the bed, feeling bereft? The phone call from the school, asking her to come in, to a meeting with Eric and his father?
13. The film ending at this moment? Leaving it to the audience to speculate on what would happen? What would happen to Diana? To Eric?
14. The prevalence of this kind of relationship in schools, the film offering some kind of insight into the characters and their involvement, motivations, feelings? Actions and consequences?
