Vulture
Lisa's drive is more than biological; it's intellectual and emotional, and that's what keeps what often risks becoming camp madness in an identifiably human place - almost all the way to the end.
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The Kindergarten Teacher
Maggie Gyllenhaal leads this darkly funny drama as a teacher who becomes worryingly obsessed with nurturing a poetically gifted child’s talent.
"Gyllenhaal is Lisa Spinelli, a primary school teacher who aspires to a more engaged cultural life for herself and her family – who don’t share her enthusiasm. She finds an outlet for her artistic pursuits at an evening poetry class taught by a handsome instructor (Gael Garcia Bernal), who doesn’t care much for her poems. One day, five year-old student Jimmy (Parker Sevak) unexpectedly recites what appears to be a poem, and Lisa becomes convinced that he is a poetry prodigy. With his busy father uninterested, Lisa takes it upon herself to foster Jimmy’s talent, and soon enough the boundary is breached between care and unhealthy obsession." (Sydney Film Festival)
Winner of the Directing Award (Dramatic), 2018 Sundance Film Festival
2018Rating: M, Offensive language96 minsUSA
DramaFestival & Independent
- Director:
- Sara Colangelo ('Little Accidents')
- Writer:
- Sara Colangelo
- Cast:
- Maggie GyllenhaalParker SevakAnna BaryshnikovGael García BernalRosa SalazarMichael ChernusAjay Naidu
The Kindergarten Teacher / Reviews
Variety
A movie whose glass is half empty - maybe it's just not possible to have a story about a 5-year-old's de facto stalker that isn't sure what it (or we) should think about the matter.
Full reviewThe Guardian
That's a level of daring we don't often see, particularly in a film about children. The Kindergarten Teacher is probably the only movie about poetry with an ending as tense as any thriller.
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Little White Lies
A piece of apposite cultural criticism with a stunning turn from Gyllenhaal.
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Hollywood Reporter
Rippling with psychological complexity and sneaky humour, this is a rich character study that takes constantly surprising turns, which should appeal to audiences hungry for idiosyncratic adult drama.
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Empire Magazine
Small-scale and slow, The Kindergarten Teacher works best as a showcase for the brilliance of Maggie Gyllenhaal. Adding another complex character to her resume, it's another reminder she is among the best actors working today.
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