THE TEACHER
Slovakia/Czech Republic, 2016, 103 minutes, Colour.
Zuzana Maurery.
Directed by Jan Hrebejk.
The Teacher might be called something of a sly film. It begins nicely enough but then begins to steer us in different directions, then in rather drastic directions and finishes up with an ironic ending. A film from Slovakia taking us back to the Communist era in the then Czechoslovakia.
This is the 1980s. The Communist Party is very strong in the local village and the new teacher is the president of the local party. 23 comes to the school, meets the children, meets the parents – all much as we might expect. The only trouble is, she has quite different expectations, not only of the children but, even especially, of the parents.
Zuzana Maurery is a strong presence as the teacher, able to turn on extraordinary front and charm, able to turn on extraordinary bullying in the classroom, able to turn on some seductive persuasiveness with the male parents.
While she might publicly subscribe to Communist principles, they certainly do not influence her personal life. She is as materialistic as you could imagine, not satisfied with the ordinary things that a Communist should be satisfied with.
At first, what she asks of different parents might seem reasonable enough, something of the equivalent of an apple for the teacher. The trouble is, she has no limits. She wants everything. And she wants everything done for her.
And, she has that knack of a controversial public figure of being able to divide people’s opinions. There is a growing number of parents who are against her, especially as they realise how she is treating their children, favouring some, harsh on others, manipulating the child so that the parents will do all the favours for her.
There is something of a rebellion as parents meet to discuss the teacher but, again, she is able to divide opinion, exerting charm and sometimes a little sexual seductiveness. Meanwhile there are plots behind her back.
Which means then that the themes of the film are fairly serious, the portrait of the teacher in herself, in her role as president of the Communist party, as a manipulator…
Then the Berlin Wall comes down, the Soviet empire collapses and, without revealing too much of the ending, it is fair to say that the teacher is able to find her feet again, adapting to the new ideological situations.
The film received an award from SIGNIS (World Catholic Association for Communication) at the 2017 Hong Kong International Film Festival.
1. The title, expectations? Good and bad teachers? The effect on students?
2. 1983, Slovakia, the country town, the school, gymnasium, homes? The atmosphere in the period? Slovakia as part of the Soviet Union? The contrast with the end in 1993?
3. Slovakia, part of Czechoslovakia, the later separation from the Czech Republic? The Communist atmosphere, over many decades? Communes, associations, chairmen and officials? Suspicions, reports, phone taps, patriotism, traitors?
4. The arrival of the new teacher, Maria, her appearance, buoyant, standing in front of the class, getting each student to stand, explain what their parents did, the notebook? Responses?
5. The background staff, the head teacher and her secretary?
6. The opening, the children arriving, the atmosphere of the beginning of the school term? Intercutting the parents, arriving in the evening, their coats in the locker room, going to
the meeting?
7. The meeting, the complaint against Maria, the audience not knowing what she did, some of the parents unaware? The headteacher managing the meeting, the motivations behind the meeting, the touch of secrecy, Maria being an official of the party in the town? The associate and taking the minutes? The parents asking what she had done? The range of parents and the children having given their background, their work? Judge, doctor, taxi driver, airport accountant, invalided man, the mothers, the man mending the lamp, the range of citizens in the town?
8. Maria, talking about her husband, dead, the war hero? It emerging that she was using people? The man fixing her lamp – and ineffectual? Her sister in Moscow, wanting the
accountant to organise taking a cake to her plane even though it was against the regulations? The invalid man lining up to do the shopping? The mothers and the variety of gifts? The parent hoping for the betterment of the children – and Maria confiding to agreeable parents information about revision and tests?
9. The treatment of the children in the classroom, the issue of grades, giving information to the parents, the results?
10. The key children and their parents? Danka, her age, her skill at gymnastics, working hard, Maria failing her? Wanting her father to take the cake, the scene of his trying to approach pilots and flight attendants and failing, eating the cake? The consequences for his daughter? The upset mother? Danka’s, failing, her reactions, collapse, putting her head in the oven, in hospital?
11. Filip, his father as the wrestling expert, the father’s expectations of his son, his son skills, but not going to the practices, his father beating him severely, the mother and her anxiety, the revelation of the truth?
12. Danka’s parents and Filip’s parents at the meeting?
13. The professor, his talented wife and her being out of the country, his exile, bringing his son, cleaning windows? Maria and her attraction, wanting an affair? The conversations? The son, his drawings, mocking Maria, shooting into the telephone and Maria’s reaction as well as the phone tappers? Friendship with Filip and Danka?
14. The meeting, the atmosphere of 12 Angry Men and the various points of view? The judge and his supporting Maria, the doctor and his wanting to leave (and supplying her with medications)? The old man against her but a grandfather? The parent who supported Maria taking the professor to the toilet, urging him not to sign? The professor leaving, waiting after missing the bus, returning to sign?
15. The invalid man, his wife cooking for Maria, his going early to the shops to stand in line for her? Wanting to buy the best for her?
16. The two women gossiping, critical of the parents who complained? Their going to gossip with Maria, her self-justification, their feeding this? The irony of their not knowing
the parents had returned to sign the complaint?
17. The teachers, their plan, justifying themselves, having the drink – and then the range of parents coming back to sign?
18. Maria, going to the professor’s house, verbally attacking him?
19. The transition to the early 1990s, Czech Republic and Slovakia, not under Communist rule? The irony of Maria, coming into the class, repeating her procedure – but her
changes of subjects, including the teaching of religion?
20. The aftermath, the information about the success of Danka, Filip and the son of the professor? Survival after the Communist regime?
