A kindergarten teacher – and aspiring poet – becomes obsessed with one of her students, who possesses a unique gift.
The Kindergarten Teacher is not just another film about a child prodigy but rather a film about a caring and sensible adult who sees and wants to act on everything that is wrong with today’s world. Unfortunately, in the process, she loses the battle as she becomes obsessed with a kid who is everything she would like to be.
Strong suit: The meticulous character development that builds up, escalates and justifies the teacher’s fascination, and the line that draws and gradually oversteps, turning it into fixation and borderline paedophilia – Maggie Gyllenhaal is incredible.
I’m not an expert in poetry, but I think it’s the film’s weakest point. In films such as Good Will Hunting (1997) or Gifted (2017), the charisma itself speaks volumes regarding why that particular kid or young adult is special. Here, (once again I’m not an expert) I found the kid’s poems… nothing much. And when an adult poetry class finds them extraordinary, I can’t help but wonder why. If I walked into a poetry class reciting those poems, I would look around me next only to see faces staring at me with a “wtf” expression. But I might be entirely wrong, so don’t quote me on that.
I admire Netflix for its diversity, which proves time and time again that it’s not afraid to expand its horizons, pleasantly surprise its subscribers, and give them value for their money.
P.S. I can’t remember the last time I watched a Maggie Gyllenhaal film that she didn’t have sex in it. #justsaying
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